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Northern Star (1837-1852), 5th February 1842, Edition 1 of 5, Page 6, Untitled Article

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      Untitled Article

      TO THE WORKING MEN OF YORKSHIRE GENERALLY , AND OF LEEDS IN PARTICULAR . Fkllow-Cocxthtmen , —The brazen attemps now made , by those who onght to act differently , to injure us in your estimation , and to retard the measure they as -well as ourselves hare so long demanded , compel us to resort to this means of defence . The present "Ten Hours' Agitation" commenced in the latter part of the year 1 S 30 . From its first

      commencement np to the present hour , Bome of the members of tbe Leeds Short Time Committee have been unceasingly engaged in it From that period up to the present , Leeds has never been without a regular organised ishort Time Committee ; ard yon , title "working men , have , many times and oft : in public meeting assembled , accorded your confidence to that Committee , thanked them for their exertions , and bid them go on ¦ with their praise-worthy efforts to secure the passing of a measure founded on the principle that labour ought to be protected .

      Ever since the establishment of the Leeds Times newspaper up to -within the last twenty months , that paper has been the known , the accredited organ of the Short Time advocates . Its columns hare always been at their service . Scores of times has its Editor eloquently and triumphantly pleaded the causa of the poor oppressed factory children . Swres of times h& 3 it met and confuted the steel-hearted and Mammon-prompted objections of the enemy . Scores of times has it lashed the Mercury for its known subserviency to the owners of machinery and -capital ; and scores of times lias it asserted that the measure of protection sought for -was necessary to snatch the infant factory worker from a state of slavery more galling , more demoralising , more debasing , and more injurieus in its consequences , thsn any- other system of slavery the world ever knew !

      Besides this , the Leeds Times has had scores of pounds ef the money subscribed hy you and your friends to advance the Ten Hours cause . His articles have been reprinted from its columns , because deamed worthy of it ; bis reports of meetings have also been extensively circulated when reprinted ; long advertisements have been inserted in his paptr and paid for ; and every means taken by the friends of Shoit Time to extend his circulation , and establish his paper as an organ of the working classes , as far as this question , at least , was concerned .

      Now , however , the sale is turned ! Xow , the Leeds Times violently opposes the measure he before so gu ! - Izntiy defended i -You * hr- treats the agitation of the Ten Hours Bill as a fraud ; ar . \ though it was commenced twelve years ago , he says it is tot just started for the purpose of superseding the anti-Corn Law agitation . ' Now he is more violent in his denunciations more base in his insinuations , and more shameless in his lying , respecting us who have maintained our integrity , than the Leeds Mercury nim * elf . ' How is this ? Wkat is it , that can have caused such a change ? Gold ! millowners' Gold 11 Free Traders' Gold 111 The TT )» n hzs been purchased by the enemy f He must < Lo'theenemy's work ! ! -

      Is this true ? It is . Here is the proof- About twenty months ago , the conductors of Jhe Leeds Times had gone almost as far with it as they could . It dia not pay its expences . It was offered for sale , "" It was in the market . A bargain was made for it , and . a price 3 greed on , by some parties connected with the ¦ working classes . Had it eome into their hands , it "would have become n ; ore Democratic , and more Ten Hour-ocratic , iif the latter were possible ) than it had ever been before . But here was an opportunity for the enemy not t » miss . To get hold of sn " organ of the working classes" and turn it to their own selfish purposes , might possibly end in turning the way of thinking amongst the working classes themselves ; or it might , at least . produce division in their ranks . At all events , the thing was worth the triaL The necessary steps were taken . It was forthwith , annoutced that Dr . Smiles had been admitted a partner in the proprietorship of the -paper .

      Now , where did Dr . Smiles get his money to v put int « the concern / ' to enable him to become " half-proprietor ? " He is not known to have had any of his own . * ' ? * * * * Where did he get the money ftom ? Ay ! thereby bangs & £ tale . Two Factory-lords of Leeds found the money ! They exacted certain conditions before they did so , as to the line of policy the paper should pursue : bnt they fonnd the money I They insisted that Dr Smiles should be admitted partner , as a guarantee that those conditions ¦ w ould bt kept : and he was admitted . Twa 3 the money wrung from your sweat and bone *! that "kept the Times in its present hands , to betray you and your cause ! ¦

      Tho conditions which were exacted by the moneyftndeTB were , that Corn Law Repeal sheuld be worked so as to make it take the precedency of all other measures amongst the working classes , and that the manufactures should be defended from the complaints of those who groan and smart beneath the " monstrous tyranny " of the Factory system . ' Here is the cause of the change ! Here is the key to Ihe present conduct of the Leeds Times . From the Mercury we do not expect fair-dealing . By him we hare always been most bitterly and unsrrupnlously opposed . But his conduct now , bitter and uncompromising an enemy as ie is , is mildness and fairness itself , when compared with that of the Times . ' !

      The labours of the deputation we recently Bent to Ministers to press upon their attention the measure we are organised to watch over aDd promote , haveitrangely excited , the ire of this purchased gentleman . He find : i ftttnuoTf hampered up . Unable to meet their statements and arguments ,, he is compelled to resort to the next Vest mode of warfare , imputing bad motives , and heaping upon the deputation lots of abuse . Amongst other things , he charges them with " artfully beslavering " the Ministers they waited upon , to serve the paity purposes of the Tories .

      What are the facts of the case ? The deputation hare reported the conversations as they took place , as accu-- ? ately as they could . We have reason to believe they have only told ihe truth , as to the manner in which they ¦ were received , and as to what passed at the several interview ! . To have told other than what they have , would have been TO lie : and because the deputation would not do thin ; because they would not sacrifice honour , conscience , and duty to the vile purposes of an infamous party , they are abused by the Leeds Times man and bis compeers as besl&verers of Toryism ; and the old cuckoo cry " Tory trick" is raised 1

      It is no doubt galling to these men that Tory Ministers should have admitted- working men to a friendly conference , when they remember tfcecondnct of the Whig Lord Melbourne , who , as principal Secretary of State , refused to see a deputation of workirg men , though sent by a Yorkshire West Riding meeting . ' The recollections of these things may be painf ui ; but the Whigs should not require the deputation TO LIE to get them out of the mesa . Well , but then , we are told , the deputation did not press npon the Ministers the adoption of the People ' s Charter . And who complains of this ? The Leeds Times man , who has done his little best to swamp the Charter agitation ! The . man who has omitted no opportunity of doing his uttermost to sow division in the

      Chartist camp 1 > ho has maligned the motives , aspersed the characters , and lyingly misrepresented the conduct of the Chartist leasers l the man who put words into the mouth of Mr . G J . Hamey . jat the last election for the purpose of hounding on the Whig physicals to trounce his bones—put words into his mouth which were never uttered , and i epresented him as uttering them in Leeds , when he never saw Leeds on the day named . ' a man who has systematically traduced the character of J . B . O'Brien , and of Mr . F . O'Connor ! a man who has called from every source all that he possibly could lay bin hands on , which would at all serve his purpose of exciting jealousy and disunion amongst the Chartist ranks i a Tnan who is secretary to the Fox and Goose Club , —a society formed , for the express and avowed purpose of swamping the Charter agitation . This is

      the " « y to complain that the deputation did not do that which they were not sent to do . ' This is the' man to send his tosla , two geese ; two members of his Fox and Goose Society , to move at the Leeds Music Hall meeting , that the deput&tieu he censured for sot pressing upon Ministers the People's Charter ! This is tha m ^ \ q act tiiUB , when he and ^ " * tools have schemed in every possible way to overreach and put down the Charter agitationJ The men who moved tie amendment at the "Music Hall , are both members of the Fox and Goose club ; and the " amendment , " so artlessly dictated by the modest mover on the platform , was concocted , arranged , by the Foxes , before the mover of it came near the meeting at alL And these , forsooth , are the men to complain that the deputation omitted that' which formed no portion of their duty !

      Ah ! working men , you will need no spectacles to enable you to see through an this ! Tou will need no aid to enable you to divine the cause of this new-born real for tbe Charter , and lore of the Chartist agitation Nothing ago , the party of which the Leeds Times is sow the paid tool , themselves sent a deputation to

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      the Tory Ministers . Of course Dr . Smiles and his coworkers took care to instruct their deputation to name the Peopled Charter to the Ministers , as a measure of relief ; of course they took care that the Ministers had that . safest brought under their notice . Not they , indeed ! They sent their deputation to press for Corn Law Repeal alone ! and the deputation never mentioned the Charter ! Of course Dr . Smiles censured them for this omission . Not a word of it J It would not Jiave served his purpose . Apropos . Who sent that deputatfon ? Whom did they represent ? The Leeds Xnti-Cern Law League . And who constitutes the Anti-Corn Law League ? How were they chosen ? Have they had the sanction of a public meeting ? and are they a duly recognized public body ? Answer these questions , pray , Dr , Smiles .

      That deputation returned . Instead of all agreeing upon a regular Report of their mission , as the Ten Honrs' deputation did , different members began to circulate different . statements as to what the Minister had said , upon whom 'they had waited . Some of these statement * , made to serve , not the Tories , but the Whigs at the expence of truth and fair-dealing , were so outrageously and shamefully false , that other members of the deputation felt themselves bound publicly to contradict tbe statements , and deny that the language imputed had ever been uttered !! Such was the way the Whig deputation acted I and because our deputation did not follow thodishonourable example ; because they confined themselves to strictly speaking the truth , they are accused by these same Whigs of aiding the Tories ! The deputation are also charged with not having whispered a word respecting that system of class legislation , which ia the cause of the evils under which the country labours . This is a pure misrepresentation . '

      The deputation represented that the working people had had no hand or part in the bringing on of the evila they complain of ; they represented that their position is such , as to leave them entirely at the mercy of ihe Capitalist , who does with them whatever he thinks proper ; they represented that the accumulation of evils from this cause had now become so great that they could be no longer bome ; they boldly stated that the time had come , when something must be done for the working people as a class ; and that that something must be a measure calculated to protect them in some degree from the tyranny and power of the other " classes" who have hitherto preyed upon them ! They showed that the evils complained of arose from the fact that , all consideration had hitherto been had to protect Capital , and leave labour enti / ely at its mercy . ' Thus showing that it is to c ' asslegislation alone to which we are to ascribe the evils the labourer has to endure !

      Then look at the recommendations of tbe deputation . They did not prescribe the Ten Hours' Bill as a " final measure ! " but distinctly named it asa beginningI That measure involves the principle , protection to labour ; and this is the secret of the great opposition and loud cry of the Leeds Times man and bis fellows . They know that if this principle be sanctioned , away goes the pow 6 r of the manufacturing " class" to press you into the dust That principle sanctioned and legislated on , you are so longer without the pale of the law ! you are no longer at the mercy of the " classes " who have reduced you to your present deplorable condition . .

      It was expressly stated to the ministers by the deputation that the Ten Hoars' measure they recommended to be passed , would not do anything like the good it would have done if passed ten years ago . And why ? Because the excessive competition produced'by our present system , and the immense aid given to needy speculators by the joint-stock banks , had increased our machinery fifty per cent during that t ^ n years ; and that our machinery , if worked no more than ten hours per day , was more thin equal to the glutting of all tiie markets in . the world . The ministers were , theftfote , duly warned that the adoption of the Ten Hours' measure would not "be any thing like a remedy for our many evils ; but that it would be a beginning ; that it would be an earnest that the working class , as a class was at last cared for ; that it would be received in that spirit ; but received only as a beginning of a series of measures of justice and protection which the condition of the operative community loudly calls for .

      They also pressed for the immediate Repeal of the New Poor Law , in the same spirit , and for tbe same object . That law is avowedly fsunded on the principle that Vie poor man has no right to lite in ihe land of his birth ; that nature has doomed him and his progeny to starve ; that she has provided for him no pl ? xe at her table . The old original Poor Law of Elizabeth was founded on the principle thai the poor man had a right to the Jirst take from the soil . No landlord could get a farthing of rent , until ihe occupier had first paid up his raks ! and the rates could 09 laid to any amount , even to the entire swallowing of the entire produce , if the necessities of the poor required it . Under that law , too , every man reduced to poverty could force a maintenance ; no . a starvation-point existment—but a

      living maintenance . Under that law , Poor Houses were unknown ; there never were any such degrading things thought of . The poor man was to be relieved at home whfcn he needed it- No "tes . t" of poverty then ! nosubmittiog to conditions then , which bespeak the absence of all independence and manly feeling ; no requiring that a man must prove that his spirit is completely bowed down ; that he is utterly cou « J ; that he is no longer a man , before they would grant him relief . He could force a good maintenance when sickness , or accident , ur infirmity , or want of woTk , brought him to poverty . That was the principle of the Old Poor Law of England . The principle of the New one is a complete negation . He caanot force a maintenance ; he has no right to be in the land ; if relieved at all , be must snbmit to degradation the most complete . Against such a system every good feeling and every principle of justice wages eternal war ; and it was in that spirit ,

      * nd for the purpose of removing one of the most odious evidences of dass-legislatkn , —odious in principle , * dious and harsh in its operation—producing misery and degradation unheard of and unparalleled before ; it was for the purpose of establishing the right ef the working maa to live in the lasd of hiB birth , and to stop the career of desolation and death throughout the land , —for who of spirit but would welcome ^ eath in a thousand shapes before submission to the indignities and degradations applied as the " teat" of poverty ; it was to establish the right to be in the land , ; uid to arrest the monster ' s lash by which the naked bsck of honest poverty 1 b scourged ; it was to do these things that the deputation pressed for the immediate ¦ eppal of the New Poor Law , along with the passing of the Ten Hours * Bill , as an evidence that , at last , the poor should be cared for ; that their interests should be in somewise attended to ; that their wants and requirements should be in some measure satisfied .

      The Ten Hours * Bill contains the principle that Labour needs Pbotectjon . The old Poor Law of Elizabeth contains the principle that THE Poea have A BIGHT TO BE FIRST KEPT BY THE LAND . The establishment of these principles will form a groundwork for the working men to work upwards to that com-Suitable and plenteous condition which is theirs by light , by reason , and by justiee . Bat were these all tbe recommendations of the deputation ? Did they suggest nothing more 1 Yes ! The immediate appointment of a committee of inquiry , formed of practical men * f all parties , for the purpese of endeavouring to ascertain the cause of the poverty , misery , and discontent now in the land . A committee that should go honestly to work to fathom the

      question ; that should examine into tbe workings of all portions of our present system , upon all ciasses : that Bhould examine more particularly into the workings of machinery , especially during the last fifty years ; that should receiva evidence and take the statements of all parties , workman and master , labonrer and employer churchman and dissenter , Whig , Tory , Radical , and Chartist . A committee that should examine into , and report upon , all the measures of relief that are proposed- A committee that should endeavour to go to the root of the matter , and devise , from the schemes before them , a plain , simple , but comprehensive measure of relief , adequate to the removal of the evils it has to supplant , and adequate to the establishment and securementot plenty and contentment throughout every workman ' s house in Britain . Such was the

      recommendation of tbe deputation : and what more do the owners of machinery and their advocates want ?! Are they afraid that before a committee so constituted , and for such a purpose , they could not make out their case ? The Chartist will have us such fear . He dare rely on tbe justiee of his case . He dare submit bis claims against all comers . The advocates for tbe protection of labour dare do the same . Who , then , is afraid ? If the Cern Law repealer is , he will dread the encounter ! If he is conscious that be rests his case upon baseless theory and specious fallacies , he will shrink from examination . But not so the man who feels the confidence arising from truthful conviction . He dreads no inquiry . He courts it He knows his claims will be heard . He is convinced that the justice of his cause will stand out fully apparent .

      And is not a solemn inquiry of this kind needed ? Is it not necessay ? Are we Incessantly to be stunned by the babble , and din , and confusion worse confounded , arising from theorists and surface-skimmers dogmatically contending that they alone know the cause of the evil , and alone know how to apply a remedy ? Is this war of werds to be endless ? Are we to have endless crimination and recrimination , and abase , and denunciation , and proscription , instead of going to work like men determined to ascertain the cause of our manifold evils , and to apply an efficient and comprehensive remedy ?

      It was for the purposei of securing a fair hearing for all parties , that the deputation recommended this coarse . And i t must be taken ! The facts connected with the subject must be ascertained , before a remedy can be applied . It may turn out that Corn Law Repeal would accomplish all its advocates say it will ; but they must first shew that they know tbe evils they have to cure , their extent , their depth , and their cause , before we can judge aa to whether their proposed measure of relief will at all apply , or whether it would

      not augment the evils already existing . Calm and dispassionate inquiry may demonstrate that the Charter alone , or a _ plan of Home Colonization , or both united , may get us out of our difficulties , and enable us to deal effectually with that disorganising power which has already worked such revolutions in our habits , customs , condition , and feelings . But the inquiry must first be had , before the demonstration can be given . The truth is , we have no facts , as far as the tremendous power of machinery is concerned , to accurately guide us . It has sprung np amongst ui , deranging all

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      our former calculations , upsetting all oar former arrangements , introducing new habits , and chm * gi " the whole aspect of Bociety ; and yet we know scarcely any ^ thing respecting it Its rise is but as of yesterday , and yet it it already almost too powerful a customer for any Government to grapple with . On one band stand the advocates for an unlimited extension of it , atout £ contending that it has been aii ttninked good to « H parties connected with it ; and on the other hand stand the working people , loudly calling out for measures of regulation and restraint ; for it has snatched the blanket from the bed , tbe beef from the cupboard , the coat from the back , and . the child from , the home of the

      working man , and doomed the father to unwilling idleness , while it imposes npon tbe infant toil unceasing , destruction of health , loss of limb , and premature death ! Is no inquiry needed here ? Should we not ascertain what really have been the workings of this tremendous power , whether for good or evil , or both ; and to point out the one , and the meuis of escaping from the other ? And con any plan better adapted for accomplishing this object be bit upon , than that sug gested by the deputation ? If so , let us hear of it I Till one is broached , let no one complain ! And none bat those who are afraid to submit their nostrums to examination will dare to comclain .

      Away , then , with the canting cry that the deputation did not press fora Repeal of the Corn Laws , or for the adoption of tbe People ' s Charter l They proposed a mode by which all parties , Chartists , Tree-Traders ^ or Home Colonizers , could have a fair and dispassionate hearing and judgment Does any one want more ? Does any one want less ? He is conscious he is a quack , and fears the light ! Such then , Working Men , were the recommendations of the deputation , and such were their reasons for the course they took . What the Ministers may do in these matters , we know not But this we know , that if they possess not the virtue and courage to grapple with these great questions , and grapple with them , too , in such a way as will benefit the distressed working people , they

      will soon have to give way to others who are able and willing to remove the burthens from the back ' s of a trodden-down people . A very sa » rt time will show whether they have this courage or hot : and none will more readily join in hurling the Ministers from office should they fail , and in replacing them with better men , than the body who now address you . To the cause pf tbe working pejple are we wedded . To that cause will wa continue to adhere , spite of all political considerations whatever . We have ever professed ourselves willing to receive aid in this cause from all and every one : we have readily supported all of every party who would support us ; and we have as readily opposed all of every party who have opposed us . To this course of action we are determined to adhere I No

      charg&s « f " Tory tools , ' or charges of " Whig tools , " shall divert us from it . The man who will support the cause we contend for , Protection fob Labour , is our friend . The man who opposes ia our enemy . The one shall have our support The other our opposition . Working Men . ' we call upon you to be true to yourselves and to your cause ! It never waB in so good a position as it now is ! True , the miseries you have to endure are appalling ! . True , the operations of our present system have brought you to absolute starvation ! True , it has inflicted suffering incalculable upon you : and the ay stem has , at Ia 9 t , Teached thosewho have been fatting while you have been gradually coming to the present pass . True , these things are so I and thnt those who have last come to taste the poverty and care attendant upon our present system bear it with an ill

      grace , flounder about , and cry out most lustily , forgetting what a deaf ear and indignant denial they gave to your cries long since uttered . True , that these things are so . ' and that heaven and earth are to be moved to procure an extension" of the Bystem which has already plunged all into difficulty and want . True , that these things are so ! vet be FIRM A little time longer , and the groundwork for your redemption will be laid ! A little time longer , and tbe cause you have so earnestly and so perseveringly fought for will be triumphant . ' Protection for labour must be bad , or you must be prepared to run still further down the road of competition and commercial strife , your rate of wages and state of being still and still continually deteriorating , as they have ever done since you set out upon it ! Reflect ! what will be the end , if you have not gone half-way yet t ! . ' ! .

      Heed them not who cry that many of you would be glad to get ten hours work now ! That is a very shortsighted view of the question . Are there not some not * working more than ten hours ? Would it not ba brtter for more of you , if that work was more equalized ? Ten Hours would do that , if it did nothing morel Beside * , the Corn Law Rt-pealers say they are going to repeal the Corn Laws . This , they also say , will bring us another " roaring trada" Will it not be better , then , to have the Ten Hours' Protection beforehand , so that we can be sure that the greedy portion of the manufacturers do not again work our children to death ! When we had a " roaring trade" before , they worked infants for eighteen hours continuously , with ODly thirty ruinutes intermission for rest , meals , education , and recreation ! Will it not make our next " roaring trade" last longer , if we run our mills only ten hours a-day , and not run them day and nigbt , while the push lasts , and then have to stand idle till another push comes ?

      With every determination to meet the foe in whatever shape he may present himself , and with a firm hope that the time is not far distant when the measure we have so long asked for , and over and over again proved the necessity for , will be given us . We are , your's faithfully , The Leeds Short Time Committee .

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      lent themselves to the worst of purposes . ( Hear , bear . ) InbU practice as a barrister , afterbiffllug all other witnesssea , he had found them with thtir notes carrying a conviction . He need not tell them he placed no reliance on the evidence so given . ( Hear , bear . ) The time was fast approaching when royaltyItself would' not feel oonifortaWe , unless the people were happy—unless the people were placed in a position to become consumers , the Exchequer would always be empty , In 1840 , their netition was presented , signed by two colons , and the Speaker , who ought to be neutral , threw hiB weight in the scale , and overbalanced the two million * . They would now double the number , continue their steady course , and , beat the Tories as they had beaten the Whigs . ( Cheers . ) The Government was as well aware

      of what they were doing as they did ; it was necessary that we show our strength—then mere ' Reformers " would go with us . The Whigs admit their mess ; was spoiled ; believe him the Whigs would rather return topower for an abridgement of the franchise than for its extension ; but let us determine they never shall return to power , unless aa Chartists . ( Loud cheers . ) Mr . O'C . then most eloquently and laughably anatomised the Midland Counties Charter , amid the loudest applause of the whole meeting , showing the fallacy of it « provisions . He had been to Leicester , and asked for Mr . Biggs , who bad denounced him in bis absence ; but he was nottobe found . ( Hear Khear . ) . He there bad a meeting of at least 4 , oe 6 ; he put both Charters and the original People ' s Charter was nanniinously carried .

      The schoolmaster was indeed abroad , and the people were not to be caught in any trap , neither Poor Law , Corn Law , or any other humbug . He supposed Mr . Biggs agreed with the poet , who said the beat time to court a widow was on her return from her husband ' s funeral ; but be thought Mr . B . would have no chance of catching the people just after the incarcerating upwards of 400 of their best friends . ( Hear , hear . ) He was to appear to-morrow , tot the fifth time , in the Court of Queen ' s Bench . He had never travelled a mile or eat a maal at the people ' s expence ; and if the Lord Chief Justice were to say to him to-morrow , you shall have the Charter , if you will take it when people shall arrive at twenty-one years and three days , or you shall go to York Castle for five years and pay a fine of

      five thousand pounds , be would choose tbe latter rather than budge an inch from the people ' s rights . iThunders of applause . ) Did ever nation present fcuch a spectacle Is we did nfc the present time ? Here we had ou the one band the rich and powerful oppressors united , ; on the other , a ragged and hungry people beating down all opposition ; and why ! . BecausB they registered their vow rather to die freemen than live slaves ; ( Great applause . ) We had been t- Id we could not gain the Charter without the middle classes ; but if they will hot go with us , we will try if there is not another most inflnential party learning wit—the trades . ( Loud cheers . ) They had tried everything save the Charter , and bad failed . They were now coming out for that ( Long continued cheering . ) He had to address the masons

      on Monday ; the shoemakers on Tuesday ; the weavers on Wednesday ; arid shortly the tailorb . ; He should then have an opportunity of telling the trades how machinery affected them—it was ' art- ' . against- nature . ( Hear , hear . V The people ' s actions relative to the free trade fallacies bad amply compensated him for all his sufferings . Thero was more money in the country than ever , yet the hullbcrrit * complained of distress , and hundreds of thousands of people . were starving . ( Hear , hear . ) Machinery worked against manual labour ; that was the cause . ( Hear , hear . ) It was now a gambling affair- —a game of chance which had been going on for the last twenty-live years . Taxation had increased , and would continuo to do so . Macbin&ry had driven people from their birth place

      to compete with theraen of London . It would be better for those in eniploy to pay those out than allow them to ncfc . as a reserve for the masters . ' Mr . 6 'C . then passed an high eulogium on the masons for their patriotism . He ( Mr . O'C ) was we 1 tried , haying been many years before them . He left it to them to say had he ever been found wanting ? ( Loud cries of "No , no ; " loud and reiterated cheers . ) Labour would not , or did it n quire to be represented without the other classes were also represented . A drunkard reeled along the road tbe other day ; a gent said '' there , O'Connor , that is one of your men , would you give him the suffrage ? ' He would ; and why , because , if a teetotaller was to be found for a candidate he would be sure to get his vote ; and so were you to eitend the Franchise to thieves , & a , they weuld 1

      not vote forthieves , knowing them too well . ( Loud ltughter and cheers . ) The Charter was the sunshine of liberty , it would moralise the whole ; it was the lever that Would raise man to his proper , sphere . He thanked them for the kind and enthusiastic manner in which they bad received the nam « js of Frost , Williams , and Jones when read by Mr . Whitehorn ; it was the conviction that be should live in the memory of working men that induced blm to make such strenuous exertions . Mr . O'C . then showed the glaring . injustice of the conviction of Frost , Wilianis ; » nd Jones . The igHorance of the juryman , Christopher Johnb , who declared he did hot find Frost guilty of high treason , but of being in Newport ; however we should not get them back until we ' eouid send out a frigate with the Charter colours

      Aflng . HeapectiDg the Dorchester Labourers , he had told the ministers that they ought to occupy their place in their colonies instead of them . He had aided in restoring tbenv and the Glasgow Cotton Spinners , and he Would bring b * ck Frost ; ' . ' Williams , and Junes . ( Great cheering . ) pont let them mistake ; he did not mean to do it himself ; he must have their aid —( hear , hear )—tbe millocrats with their millions complained of poverty , and wanted the repeal of the Corn Laws ; but they would never go for the Corn Law repeal if they were to have the Charter with it ( Hear , hear ) He would put all the League in that room , and go blindfolded into a meeting of working men , and pick but twenty

      men possessing more ' talent than all the League corn ' bined . The League was to have a meeting on the 8 th of February ; be would meet them , and convince the people , that . they (< the League ) were the only monbpoJisMC , They were about to have a little parliament of their own—the Convention . ( Loud cheeis . ) He had now performed his duties . Mr . O'Connor now showed cards of the Association , and called on those present who were not enrolled to enrol themselves forthwith . He would take his leave , assuring them that be would be always found at his poft ; and should at any time be happy to eome and address the men of Chelsea . ( Loud and long continued cheering . )

      Mr . Mathers then read and moved the address to the Queen in behalf of Frost , Williams , and Jones . Mr . GUTHRtE , in seconding it , eulogised the character of Mr . Frost , with whom he had been personally acquainted ; it was put and carried unanimously . Mr * . R . Ridley moved , and Mr . Warminster seconded the motion , " That Feargus O'Connor , Esq ., present it to her Majesty ; ' this was carried unanimously . ¦ ' ' ¦ ¦ ' ¦¦ ¦ ' - "' . '¦ ¦ . ¦'" ¦ ' ¦ ¦ ' : ¦ ' : ¦ . '"'" . ; A vote of thanks was given to the Chairman , and the meeting broke up .

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      ! RAISING THE WIND . When we are urged to make any sacrifice with a view to get rid of tbe existing Corn Laws , there is an implied assumption in the exhortation , that , by attaining that end we should save the country from impending ruin . The patient , say some , is in danger of instant death . Doubtless , perfect health : can only be restored by a course of alteratives which shall act upon tbe constitution ; but there is no time to carryprescriptions of this character into effect . The country is sinking from exhaustion . Lot our first efforts be directed to a revival of her trade and commerce , and we may then proceed at leisure to the great work of political reform . To this we have but two objections ; but then they are formidable ones .. First , that we ennnot muster up a sufficient dose of stimulant necessary for securing the revival we need ; and , secondly , if we could , we should proceed so very leisurely to amend the constitution , that ere long the patient would : be as bad

      as ever .- .: .. ; . . -. , ¦ . - . . •• ' . - - . ; . ¦ - . - .-. - . 7 ¦ They may doubt this who look upon class legislation » b a thing of recent origin , or who imagine they see ia our present restrictive system no more than " nature erring from : herself . " A slight acquaintance with Parliamentary history will set them right From the first moment of the installation of what we may call the landed interest in the supremacy of powei until the present time , our legislators have pursued their selfish ends—have aimed at increasing the value of their ewn property , at the expence of those whom they were called to govern , with a systematic pertinacity no less than instinctive . Their conduct , from beginning to end— " from morn to dewy eve , " has been

      consistent . With untiring B « al they have kept before them one object—self-aggrandisement ; with unwearied assiduity they have purged it Baffled in one instance , they return to the chase with -new alacrity—omit no opportunity— spare no vigilance—overleap all the landmarks and hedges of justice—turn this whole country into one va 8 t hunting-ground , in which the people are the victims , laws the bounds , and pelf the end of the pursuit . The : statute-book is simply a record of the transactions designed to transfer property from the ruled to the rulers . Our Corn Laws , our Money .. Bills , our Stamp Acts , our Excise Duties , our Enclosure Bills and Game Laws , the Church , the magistracy , tbe army , the navy , Colonial Governments—all tell one tale , the rule , or rather themisrule , of ' monopoly . " > : '¦ :

      Singularly enough , the origin of this power , the power of the greater and lesser landowners , was unconstitutional . The Convention of Peers » nd country gentlemen , which : assembled on the restoration of Charles the Second , and proceeded to abolish every enactment of the Commonwealth aa illegal ; was never summoned by the King's writ . Under pretence of restoring the monarch , they changed the constitutional policy which had prevailed from the conquest in 1066 . From thefeudal services which they owed to the crown , and in virtue of which / they held their lands , they exempted themselves , and the commutation land tax which had been established Under the Commonwealth

      in lieu of such services they refused to re-enact , but granted instead an impost on wine , eider , beer , and ale , and afterwards , to make np the deficiency , poll and hearth taxes . This , it must be confessed , was a hopeful beginning , and gave promise of that matured selfishness which they have since produced in such ample profusion . They commute the burdens upon their own estates , burdens far lighter than those which pressed upon tbem when they held their lands from the irbwn ; and having thrown off feudal homage due to the crown for lands apportioned to them by the crown , as well as tbe money tax imposed In lien of that homage , they call upon the people to pay , and shift tbeir debts , as usunl , to the country .

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      A * ord of explanation may not be misplaced here . The origin and nature ef feudal service may not be generally understood . 7 V At the conquest all the land of the kingdom was held to be vested in the victorious sovereign , who became the lord paramount of' the soil . He divided it among his comites , or ; .: associates ; to whom he granted , however , only the occupancy of it , reserving to tbe crown Wj ? fes-irimple oi proprietorship . In retort twe the right of oMtipanc ^^ associates were pledged to render important service . They defrayed the expences of jurisdiction within th « ir several districts—they maintained order , and were bound to furnish forth a certain number of men with arma , equipments , and food , in any military expedition commanded by the monarch . They held their estates from him as the proprietor , with an express view to the performance of these duties . We need not run

      through the history of that process by which the estates were first held for life , then for two generations , and aubsequenUy became hereditary property—nor need we follow ait the changes effected ia the conditions of tenure . It may suffice to say that the proprietorship of the soil was ultimately Wrung from tbe monarch , and that in place of feudal homage and burdensome services a land tax was imposed . That which was once held upon condition of furnishing aid to the king in his military undertakings , and which on that condition alone belonged to the occupiers of the soil , was during the cbmmonwealth , beld oh condition of the payment of ; a steady and unvarying tax , and . ^ ^ frota all further obligations landowners were released . This obligation , upon the restoration of Charles the Second , the' illegal convention of the landbcracy immediately abolishedfreed their own estates from incurnbrance , and threw the burden , In the shape of excise taxes , upon the people . —Nonconformist [ . '

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      MISERIES 0 F EDITORS . \ 1 . A kind visitor , whom ydu would make almost any sacrifice to rather than offend— -without the least ill intention in the world , but merely moved and instigated by mother Eve's fatal vice , curiosity , rummaging your private desk , if it happen t © ba cuminbdiously open , examining your letters , and other correspondence ; resorting to your composition drawer , on the ground of intimate acquaintance ; deranging and inspecting manuscripts , when you had as lief he had intended into your wife ' s dressing-room ; or peeping over the cases , and interrupting compositors , to see the original articles , which you did net intend to show him , or any body else , except through the medium of the

      press .: ; , :...- .. _' .. ., , . " ¦ ¦ - •¦ : ¦ . -.. . - .. - 2 , Receiving a manuscript , of which it seems doubtful whether the writer intended to represent European , Ghaldaic , or Chinese characters ; arid , after patient attempts to deoypber the hieroglyphics , resorting to the author , and bearing : his unfeigned expression of astonishment that you did not find all as plain and legible us a new tin pan . ¦ .- ; 7 3 ^ J ust as you are in the busiest part of your daily duties , in preparing your paper , having an -obliging call , with a very verbose commuuiaation of a private nature , which you are required not only to receive , but to hear read , amid the din of other calls— " Proof is ready !"— " Waiting for proof , Sir !"—and the prospect of a late paper , and subsequent complaint in anticipation grinding on your feelings .

      i . Inquiries— " Who wrote that article ? " when you have no fair right to ii . form , . when it seems unkind to refuse , and incredulous to say you do not Know . 5 . In a busy moment receiving a personal lampoon ,, which you are resolved not to publish , yet wish to give your reasons , without time to explain thein . N . B — The writer , full of the justice of his cause , and perfectly incredulous that there are twe sides of a question . 6 . A . modest request from a good friend , just as your paper ought to b « at press , that you would prepare a special article for his particular view .

      7 . And lastly , for the present , a quick succession of complaints , such as— " Wby was our advertisement onlivted ?—^ That communication will be too late next week—The other papers have that news more in detail —I wonder you should publish so many light articUs , and leave out coininereial ones—This is an important time , and politics ought to be your principal object-Literary articles ought to claim a part of your attention ; ' " till , with forlorn gaze , you measure ¦ with your ' eye the extent * of the columns of your paper , and wistfully exclaim— . - ¦ ¦ ¦ ,-

      " Ye Gods ! annihilate both time and space , And make ua printers happy . " POSTCIUPT—Another dreadful misery . —While you are : collecting news from a dcz « n or- twenty different papers , whbn you have to keep in your mind ' s eye the leading features of all , to have jour papers mit-placed , and your arrangements all broken in upon by tbe busy interference of half-a-dozen goodnatured , friendly loungers , who after having agonised jour feelings into a high fever , retire , one after another , humming a tune , " What ' s this dull town to me ? " orgiving some other indication of their idle propensity or negligeiUaire . — New York New Era .

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      YEOVIL , Somerset . ——A meeting of the inhabitants of this pla . ee was held on Tuesday last , tocongratulate the Queen upon the birth of a son and Successor to the British throne . Many of the respectables and clergy of the town and neighbourhood attended , and -also a few of tbe working classes . The Portreve was called to the chair , who briefly stated the object of the riieetihg . W White , Esq ., in a short speech ,: in which he eulogised the town for its great loyalty , proposed an artdress of congratulation to her Majesty , which was seconded by the Rev . W « A . Robinson . Previous to its . being put from the chair , Mr . Bainbridge wished to offer a few reriiarks . He rose for the purpose or moving an amendment ,, and in do ^ ng so , he could assure them that it was not out of any

      captious opposition to tbe address itself , not put of any ill feeling to tho gentlemen who drtw it up , not out of any want of loyalty , nor a desire to disturb the unanimity of the meeting , but from a feeling of duty to the many thousands of his suffering fellow creatures to his country and bis Queen . The amendment was as fol ows : — " That we your Mjijesty ' s most loyal subjects beg most respectfully to congratulate your Majesty on the auspicious event of the bhth of a son and successer to the British throne , but we trust it will not be considered as detracting from the affectionate . loyalty with which we offer these our umited congratulations , if while we rejoice in your joy , we cannot refrain from expressing our deep sympathy with those who weep . It . is scarcely necessary to state to you , most gracious Sovereign , that poverty , misery , and human degradation

      prevails to an alarming extent , in every part of this our favoured land , and whicuif not speedily remeved , will , in all probability , load to results the most fearful to contemplate . Believing that those evils are caused by class legislation , and being earnestly desirous of securing virtue , happiness , and tranquility to your Majesty's subjects , as well as protection to your Majesty ' s crown aiid dignity . Wehumbly beg of your Majesty to adopt such measures as shall destroy the monopoly of political power , ana do ample and equal justice to all classes of the community . " Mr ; Wills briefly seconded the amendment . G . Harbin , Esq , agreed that great distress prevailed , but thought that it was foreign to the object of the meeting to bring it forward at the present time . Several other gentlemen followed in the same strain , When the Rev . H . Soley rose and spoke as follows :- ^ - -

      The Rev . H . Soley said he bad considerable ^ hesitation in putting himself forward on the present occasion , afraid that , from his having been so short ; a time an inhabitant of the town , it might be deemed presumptuous in him to offer any obbfcryations ., Neverthelesa , he could not remain an indifferent spectator under circumstances that appeared to bim of considerable importance . He could not help feeling that it was of no slight value ta couple with ' their address of coagratulation to their Soveraign an expression of their deep sympathy with the millions , who were suffering in every corner of the land . It seemed to him tJ » ey would not be doing their diity if , while their hearts were full of pity fer the unfortunate , as he truly believed they were , their words were indicative only of

      contentment and joy . They must remember that out of the fulness of the heart the mouth speaketh , and they must beware lest silence : on . the subject of such suffering should give rises to the belief that either the suffering or the sympatby did not exist If they really deeply deplored ; the condition of their countrymen as it deserved , they could . not help availing themselves of such an opportunity of makibg known their sentiments in aquaiter whence relief might possibly flow . But it was said , the present was not a fitting occasion for the addition , be would not call it an amendment to the address now proposed . In reference to that point , he would quote the prccederit of : the Wilts connty meeting lately convoked for a purpose similar to tbe present , when the Earl of Radnor had moved an

      amendment relating to the existing distress , and although other places may riot in general have adopted soch a course , it seemed to bim peculiarly natural and right that , while they rejoiced , with those who rejoiced , they Bhould not forget also to nioarn with them who wept Why were they toi be tied down by precedents , wben the sacred emotions of the heart were the only subjects involved ? He bad very little doubt that his friend would withdraw his resolution in accordance with the suggestion of Capt Harbin if . such should appear to be the decided wish of the meeting , and the use of the room were granted to thein for another public meeting but for bis own part , as he wished to see everyiongra ' tulatory address tbronghout the country coupled with fere to toe national

      re . ces misery , he should sincerely regret if the meeting were indisposed to adopt the amendment The state of the country was indeed frightful ; even in this town where they knew nothing of suobmlseiy as in the middle and north of England , mere was much , very mnch to deplore . WeU he knew the charitable disposition of many of the inhabitants of yeoyil , and has rejoiced in paying bis humble tribute ot praise to many of the gentlemen now present , for their late exertions in the cause of the poor . But there was something better than charity , something Btill more needed—that was justice— an ounce of justice was worth a ton of oharit ^ i We Want to see on * countrymen not in want of charity , but able to afford it to others , and if justice were done them ,

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      could it be believed that in such a country as EricJamr long-famed tor it « industry , ' its erAerprise , S various natural resouirces ; hundreds of thousand wonld be in rieed of elemosynary support ? fla need refer bat to one item of the wrengs saffared biiba working millions , namely , the Cora Id **; to show fl ^ t that ttey were croeHy and mort uhjustlrtreated ! aniit was because he saw that the working classes were not protected by others , and were nab allowed . 'to protect themselves , that he fel it was of so much value to call the attention of the Sovereign t « tbe duty of a government , to legislate for tbe benefit of the whole , and ¦ ' not for a few . He knew thai lie bad been accused of inter .

      fering in political matters , but in the face of that meeting be must disclaim belonging to , or having any connection wjt&any political party . All parties ought to be able to look npon the ministers of , the Gospel as their friends , which would not be the case if thy wore identified with any one of them , but ttere were great eternal principles of rigbt and wrong , whleh he trusted be should never shrink from advocating ; and certainly not , because good and honest men ( meaning the Chartists ) for doing the same , were covered with obloquy and made the victims of persecution . The present occasion did seem to him an opportunity for bearing witness to those principles , for which if they let it pass now , they might be called to account hereafter . . -

      As it was doubtful whether the original address would be carried , or not Every means was used to get Mr . Bairibridge to withdraw his amendment ,, bat without effect After much discussion , those lovers of fairplay determined to put the original address , with , out noticing tbe amendment , which was eventually done , although Messrs . Bainbridge and Soly protested against such an unfair proceeding , and urged that it was not on address from the inhabitants of Yeovii , but of only a few individuals . ; They carried it bya show of bands . The result of this meeting has created a great sensation in the town , and all cry out against the unfair proceeding of what are called the " gentlemen" of Yeovil . ' ' : ~ ' : ''¦ : - : - ¦ - " ^ . ' . \ ¦ :. :: ' '¦ . -- . ' , ; " :: - ' [

      DARLINGTON . —The Chartists of Darlington held their weekly meetingin Biggs' long room , when a vota of thanks Was carried unanimously to Jlr . Stiran and the Chartists of Bilstbn , for their heroic conduct in carrying their amendment against the Vicar and churchwardens for attempting to carry a church-rate . : KENT . —Progress of Ciiartism . ~ A puVlic meeting in furtherence of the cause was held in the spacious room of the Compasses Tavern , High-street , Chatham , on Thursday last The meeting was called for . half-past seven ; at that time the room was densely crowded . Mr . Clark wiis unaniniorisiy voted to the chair . He requested a fair and impartial hearing for all who might present themselves . Mr . Stallvrood , from London , was engaged , and would address thein . : He was Bure , in accordance with Chartist usagii , if , any bad an objection to offer , they would be patiently beard , and fully answered . ( Cheers . ) Mr . Stallwood then rose , and was most cordially received . He

      exhibited to them , in a mariner not . to be mistaken , the principles of the People ' s Charter , showed the incon * sistency and fallacy of the Midland Counties Charter , the absurdity of Sturge ' s declaration , and the mischievous tendency of free t ada . under present circumstances—most clearly demonstrated the practicability of the Chartist principles , refe ring to Norway , Switzwland , lei ., as indisputable proofs— -showed the immense mass of corruption , tumult , convulsion , and bloodshed caused by the present system—and that the only remedy was to place political power in the bands of the people—and concluded an argumectative and eloquent address , amid the loudest applause of a delishted aadienca Pppoaition Waa coUited , but none offered . The : Petition was adopted , and received tnan ^ i signatures . The Chairman announced that Mr . Stall-Wood would lecture on the ensuing evening . Several members were added te the locality , and the meeting dissolved . . '¦' . ' - ¦ . ¦¦ . ¦ ..-. ' . :. - . --,.. v

      ; On Friday evjenino , the room waa again filled . Mr . Clark was re-appointed to the chair . Air . StalhJ wood came forward amid loud applause , and showed " the misery , wretchedness , and crime caused by the present system— . the inefficiency of our own " institutions" for tbe present time ^ -that there was no such a place as the Commons House , the House so called being a junior House of Lords—and the great necessity that existed for a change . At . tbe conclusion , a vote of thanks was given to the lecturer ; - . The Chairman eloquently supported the views of the lecturer . A .

      yotw of thanks was passed to the Chairman . A considerable addition was ^ asain made : to the petition , and several converts entered the National Charter Association . \ Although this locality has only : been in existence nine weeks , they have bad two lecturers down from London- ^ held four large meetings ^ -aud obtained six hundred signatures to the National Petition . All that is now required is the presence of Feargus O'Connor to make Chartism fashionable here . Then hurrah for the cause in the Crovemment Borough of Chatham ' ; ' ¦ -: '¦¦' ¦ ¦ 7-77 : ;

      NEWCASTLE—The NewcastleChartistsheld their weekly business meeting on Monday evening , in the Chartists Hall , Goat Inn , ' Cloth Market Mr . Crothers having been unanimously called to the chair . The secretary read tbe minutes of last meeting , likewise Some letters which he bad received from Leeds , respecting the O'Brien Press fund , arid one from York , when the following , resolutions were agreed to unanimously . Moved by Mr . Cockburn , seconded by Mr . Sinclair , " That this association highly approve of the exertioBs of the youths ( in connexion with our body ) in their endeavours to get up a reading room and debating society , and We do hereby promise them our hearty support in furtherance of their desirable objects . " Moved by Mr . Cockburn . seconded by Mr . Dees , " That all who may . be willing to become collectors for the Convention fund , be furnished with books for that

      purpose , and that they be requested to report progress to the Council weekly . " Moved by Mr . Dees , seconded b y Mr . Frankiand , ' That the secretary be instructed to procure twelve collecting books for the purpose , and that none be considered duly appointed to collect with ? out a mandate , signed by the secretary , on behalf of the Chartist body . " Moved by Mr , Binns , seconded by Mr . Cockburn , That a deputation of three be appointed to wait upon the two membera © f Parliament for this Borough and present them with a copy of the National Petition ( adopted at the public meeting in tbe Guildhall , last week , with the mayor in the chair , ) and a copy of the People ' s Charter , each respectively , and to request them to support the prayer of the petition in their places , in the House . If they should have left for London , the becretary was instructed to forward the copies to their addresses in London , with the above request ' 7 '¦ . '¦¦ . . ¦; '; ; -7 V ' ~ ' ¦ ¦ 7 . '¦ ¦ '¦ . ¦' . ¦ . ¦ . ' "¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ .. - ,

      Repeal op the Corn Laws not a PotiTrcAt Subject . —The Chartists of Blaydon waited Bome time ago upon the managers of the Primitive Methodist Chapel to request the use of the chapel to bold a Chartist meeting in , but received in answer that it was an unalterable law with the society , that the chapel cou ' . d not , on any account , be used for any political object whatever ; but whafc was the surprise of the good men and true of Blaydon when , upon going abroad on last Tuesday morning , tbe village' arid environs were placarded , announcing that Mr . Eiddle , anti-Corn Law lecturer , would deliver a lecture p ri the Corn Liwa in the said chapel , on Wednesday evening . Wednesday came , and so did Mr . Liddle ; the Chartists were there tod . Mr- L . finding himself in a

      country village , thought he could make them swallow any nonsense he might be pleased to eject ; opened ont in a regular tirade of such hackneyed abuse aa tie League generally resort to , when they think they can dq so with impunity ; but the men of Blaydon were too old birds to be caught with chaff ; tbey offtsred to discuss the subject with him ; but he very wisely declined . The meeting , which was a bumper , came to tbe unanimous conclusion , that all the evils with which society is afflicted is owing to " - class legislatioa , and that nothing but a full and free representation in the state can ameliorate the present deplorable condition of the industrious classes . After giving three heartf cheers for the People ' s Charter ; three for F . O'Connor ,

      the friend of the people ; and three for Mr . O'Brien , the : meeting separated . This ^^ said Mr . ¦ ¦' tiddle : placarded the wallsV ' bf Newcastle , announcing his intentions of delivering a course- of lectures against the Coin Laws in tbe Ranters' School-room , Nelson-street , on Tuesday evenings ; admission 2 d . each . How many dp you think attended his first lecture ? :--exactly , four , including himself and the person appointed to take tbe twopenees . wheri they ' caine . ' : Of course there was ' lecture ; and after waitinff . nearly an hour , and seeing no more prospect of any twopenees , he walked awaj grumbling that "if the } folks would not come and get cheap bread , they just must go and buy . dear . " So much for the prospects of the Plague . 0

      TON BRIDGE , ( KEND—The cause is progressing with wonderful rapidity in this part of the Country Many of the middle classes are now comiog out for the Charter . A public meeting was held on Tuesday evening , in tbe large room of tbe Association , at the Chequers' Inn ; for the purpose of adopting tne National Petition . The chair was taken by Mr ^ Payne , a roost staunch advocate of the rightsof man , who statedat some length the objects-of the meeting , and pledged birnself , as far as be was able , to erisure everyone * fair hearing . Mr . Spring mo » ed the ' first ; resolution ; - That tbe distress which at present exists ^ in tntf country calls for the interference' of every generou * mind . *? The resolution was seconded by -, Mr . ^^ Harri ? . The second resolution— " That all the evils under which tbe people labour are caused by class legislation , andthat they wiii never be removed till the peop le are fully and fairly represented in- the Commons House 01

      Parliament , " was proposed by Mr . SneUirig , andseconded by Mr . Elliott The third resplutipn , adopting the ^ rational TPetitioii wai moved' by Mr . HarriSj , wbo re » the petition , arid commented at considerable leogto thereon , and was seconded b * y Mr . Hemsly . The yrbolt were carried in a most entbiudastic manner , tbe sentiments of the speakers eliciting the most unbounded applause . This meeting was got up as an antidote to another , composed of Wblgs and Tories , held on the same day , to rejoice at the christening of a Prince 01 Wales . It was tbe first public meeting held by the Chartists , in which all the epeakere were members w thai bo ^ y , and we have no doubt it will have a goo * effect , and be the means of extending the glorious principles of the Charter . A lecturer would do great good in Kent , as then are many towns willing and waiting ta be enrolled . Agricultural districts have been too much neglected .

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      CHELSEA . A pnblic meeting was held in the Commercial Rooms , Royal Bath Gardens , King ' s Road , Chelsea , for the adoption of the National Petition , on Wednesday , January 26 tb- The front of the place of meetiDg was illuminated by variegated lamps , forming a large P . C , the initials of the People ' s Charter . The spacious building was well filled . At balf-past seven o ' clock , Mr . S . Ford was unanimously called to the chair , and in a few brief sentences requested a patient bearing for all wbo might present themselves , and called on Mr . Whitehorn to read and move the adoption of the National Petition . Mr . Whitehorn said it gave him great pleasure to do so , because it contained equal justice for rich and poor . ( Hear , hear . )

      Mr . L . H . Leishs seconded the motion . He said as one of the working lasses of this great community , be seconded it with great pleasure , embracing , as it did , the six points of the Charter . We certainly had no wealthy or titled aristocrat to preside over our meeting ; it was , nevertheless , a most numerous and respectable meeting . The day had gone by for idle pomp , useless glitter , and expensive shows . He would be brief , because he was ture they were anxieus to hear that great and good man , Feargus O'Connor , who was present ( Loud cheers . ) But he would , nevertheless , explain the bearing of the principles of the Charter ; they would , then , be enabled to give their judgments fairly on the principles brought before them . That Government originated from the people in America , was quite true ; but was it so in England T How was it here ? Why , it originated from a banditti of petty tyrants , and on this basis was monarchy established . We had now oligarchies of landlords , millocrats , millionaires ,

      who each and all claimed to be the people ; but the millions were not the people . He agreed that all ought to be represented . The millions were regarded as respectable so loag as they served the purposes of faction—( hear , hear)—like the ass , so long as they carried the load . ( Hear , hear . ) We complain : that the House © f Commons do not tell us what they will or will not do ; no , if they did , it would cement the people together . We bad been disappointed by all parties , how was the present state of things kept up ? by classlegislation . ( Cheers . ) A large army , and a most expensive rural police was maintained at the pubiio expence ; but when tbe people become enlightenedwhen in erery cottage was to be found an English Chartist Circular , and the Northern Star— ( loud cheers ) —then would despotism cease . ( Reiterated cheers . ) Mr . L . then eloquently denounced the atrocious Poor Law Bi ll , and lashed alike most unsparingly Whigs and Tories , as its supporters , and concluded amid the cheers of the meeting .

      The motion was then put , and unanimously adopted . Feargus O'Connor , Esq ., now rose , amidst the most deafening applause , again and again repeated-He said . Sir . Chairman , Working Men and Women , it gives me great pleasure to meet so numerous a body of my fellow men and women on this my second appearance among you . Whether shall we attach greatest importance to the meeting of yesterday ( the Royal christening ) , or to the forthcoming meeting of Parliament ? be was sure the Windsor meeting was not without its good effects upon the people . Only think of tbe prefuse and lavish expenditure , while thousands of the wealth-producers was perishing ef hunger . ( Hear , bear . ) Now , history , science , literature , and the arts

      bod found their way among the people , he was sure these tidings that the Royal tables literally groans with the weight of gold ; and that the streets were carpetted for royalty to walk on , while twelve thousand persons were perishing in Paisley alone—would spread like an electric shock—and it would be found tbe schoolmaster cad not been abroad for nothing . It is 00 difficult to give a name to a Prince that all this fuss must be made—that a king must come so many thousands of miles . Bat , in this christening he read sign * of tbe times . There was not that brilliant illumination there was wont to be , nor such a numerous body ef lamp gazers ; tbe middle classes bad begun to find they were paying too dear for their whistle . ( Loud cheers . ) In a few

      weeks the Petition would he presented to the House , carrying four millions of signatures on its bosom;—( bear , hear , )—to this House we had been taught to look for a redress of grievances , and let them not dlsappointus . See the effect of Whig finality In 1832 , a majority was found to oust the boroughmongers ; in 1842 , a majority of 91 was found to uphold those very Tories . ( Hear , hear . ) We had been told that a large mass of blue and red soldiers was kept up to keep down the people ; but neither the sabre of the one or tbe truncheon of the other , would be used unless the money was f » und to pay them . ( Loud cheer * . ) He had found the police , especially In Ireland , were employed as spies ; they frequently forgot they were citizens , and

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      TO IHB EDIIOR OF THE XOSXHERN 5 XAB . Sib , —At a special meeting of the L * eds Short Time Committee , holden on the evening of Jan . 22 d , 1842 , present , eight of the members , the following resolutions were unanimously passed : — 1 st—That the " Address to the working men of Yorkshire , " in reply to the foul arid unmanly attack of the Editor of the Leeds Tines ^ ad in justification of the proceedinp of the Ten Hours' Deputation , as bow read , be adopted ; and that " 2 , 500 of them be printed for immediate circulation -in the -mills and factories of the town and neighbourhood . Jnd . —That the Editor of toe Northern Star be respectfully requested to give tbe document insertion , in the columns of his paper ; and that he be kindly thanked for his many former favours . Agreeably to the 2 nd resolution , I beg to hand you a copy of the address , and in the name of the Committee , solicit at your hands , the favour of its insertion .

      I am , Sir , Yours truly , Jos . Hobson , Secretary Leeds , Jan . 26 tb , 1842 .

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      ¦ 6 ¦ . ^^ M --: ^ P ^ T ^^^^^^ . " -: -

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Feb. 5, 1842, page 6, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1147/page/6/