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    ^ rt tfryT fTieffiendow cheers , « nd » Thift it . ' ) FabLm * Pbn . if tbcUndia purch « e 4 iatte U ^^ ftitisteeB Bnta I usign it ever to the share fetT ^ tiere is mj iU ^ lity or penalty » tt 4 ched RfTsbouIi like to see the « Whatler' or Mr b ^ -to the Attorney Geaerd , and ask tore . B ^ gUJed penalties . I dunldlike to tee the ' fe ^ Jor Boj ' - * H » ' Pot Bej * i-diM to prosecute [« f 4 B dswmberi , orprMecnfe mo . ( Chews . ) Then , fethe Boblelord , who rented the owtamaetioni Par ting cue , I would go te ' P * rliament ~ for * Pfir tHEB' for their several raits . Bot the f'j&rter' and Josh , never told yon , that , berides r ^ , ntfesom « pirtiof the set being repealed , the Rl « r most eet tt » consent of the Attorney Gtne-OP ^ ' ~ « n * - l ^ . A ^ . Ji . » J I IPL . U . ! i II .

    PTfefore heeoBldmefor pe&ilbes . ( Gheen . ) The ^ + fflbiectSs J « b . '» TtonUd challenge to meet me T / idon in discussion upon the legality of the 11 j Plan—published in this day ' s &aaantr , and ^ Dh witlJ pkearded through Manchester . ' H « PrL fifteen frothy propodtions to be discussed , Ffjmznj-wte conditions for the arrangement of r ^ scnSon . He sajsthat lam not to hays it all ^ otrairaj , whik . UaghaW feBOBih ^ e contends $$ iK * «! " * *«• ( Chee » « nd laughter . ) £ o bjects to meet me here , wjd says I named the •^ wh at place so fit . as the place where the r * L h « been circulated , and where his witnesses So uths spot . ( Cheers . ) ; What place eo meet » top bw wheiemy Uood : ha » been shed before in Sfafls ef apolitical princ ! ples- ( treniendotts ap-^ - andwherelthe League ruffians , attempted to

    £ vjred to-day , eantae more easily do the bidding 5 ^ emp loyew-for . matkme , jou have it upon fj ^ raBce of oaeof tha most respectable gentle . £ hiKaiichater . and also of -a lad ; that at the Ztftater Examiner Office they were in treaty with 1 ^ to waifflHate me . ( Groans , ud Oh ! the 5 , 3 ns . ' ) Well , bat this disputant proposes , mo-^ proposes , that he should have thepower to em-^ l onehalfof the jury by tickets ; COM Oh ! ' ) ^ don't yoa think you see a balance jury of one jjjf feigners cokub 5 to an honest and deliberate ver-E fcnpoa the legahty of » plan which is calculated ^ intended to tak « the working classes out of j ^ grasp ! Don ' t you think you see those imparjj jurors voting their devil an angel , while themere J # t and seems I prove the plan to be the greater be

    ^ ald taeir Hostility , and the more uuannnons ^ ejr verdict ? ( Loud cheers , and "True . *) And ten , this melter down of men ' s consciences proposes ptnelt down his jury , whom he knows will be unajrBoos to a man upon , his side , that is his pack—he pro poses that they should become smaller by degrees , f 0 , at last , they are dwindled down to the chairpia and the umpire , who are to decide upon Josh ' s in terpretation of the law , about which he and they ^ as hopelessly ignorant as the-unborn babe . , Che * n and laoihtar . ) But . yet , he'll meet me , c d I tell him that I'll meet him too . ( Tremendous # ers that made the building rinf . ) Ay , and I'll oef t him in London too , or in HuddenSeld ; but it tBjiibe before an unpacked jury , freely admitted to

    tie jury-box , too . numerous to be purchased and too jgeest to be partial . ( Renewed oheerirjg . ) And , jfy so fit to hear the law expounded aa thoca who ^ interested lmite exposition , or . who so likely to jre judgment against me if I harejuggled , cheated , pasted them , as the members of the Land Compar themselves ! ( Loud cheers , ) But , anotherraoj « t condition is , that this gentle dote prays for ¦ jgbaence from all other questions bat the legality rfthe Laud Plan—« An ounce of civet , good apothecary . " fist ! charge a man with murder , and invite him to get you , send you a perfumed note to meet you . to gxoss the breed of a calf . ( Great cheers and hnghier . ) Charge a man with perjury , fraud , and feeption ! with , having lived upon the parings from

    fie poor bud ' s board ! and then invite him U discuss the relative value and property of two tulips . ( Rejewed cheers and laughter . ) No , no , friend Josh , Tim are fund of walking into men behind their fecfe ; yoa built opoa my absence , and Fil walk ja : o joa as well a * discncsin < £ ina Land Plan . ( Cheers . ) Was ever such a propoutioa made $ ihe xceased by his accuser ? Firstly , to nominate iilf the jury and net touch upon the question of the cbiacter ot his accuser .. I am too practised a ctm-Bm-law lawyer for that . Ifl am the bad man , and She is the good man , he can stand in nodanger from fis test of character . If he is pure , he has nothing to fear from the sincerity of motive . ( Cheers . ) Now , fee , these ate ray conditions—the conditions upon

    mica I always told you that I would meet ray every issuer—the tribunal before which , and which atone , I shall always be ready to plead , ( Loud and long coEftined cheering . ) The next question to which this virtuous editor applies himself is the establishsent , management , and conduct of the Northern Harnewspaper . He has told you how Ardill found fee money to pay the first week ' a wagts ; how the people have been joggled out of their money and not paid * ny inUrest upon their shares ; and with ehancteri-tic simplicity , and an accuser peculiar to this logician , he corrects the < Whistler' in his asser tion that it was he who paid the first week's wages . 'Xe , 'he says / you are wrong , allow me to correct you , it ns from John Ardiil , and not frem me , that Mr

    O'Connor borrowed the money . Now , my friends , astray to all role , to all precedent , and all license , lirill pa in to the whole question of the ¦ tforthen Stsr newspaper , its resources and its management , tieshareL'dder ? and their treatment , and die eon * duct and attention of my staff . That paper is , perhaps , a monument of the greatest fidelity of a portion of the press of any country . Seeing that we required aa organ , I Hndertook to establish , that paper in November , 1837 . npoa condition that those ibr whose especial advancement it wa 9 intended i&rald take up 800 shares at £ 1 . a share , and for vbieh the enormous interest of ten per cent , should te pud , besides receiving back their principal on tiree months' notice . The 800 shares were not

    taken np . But now prepare your ears for a comaercislpnnte—that paper , so of tea endangered by the rascality of » y representatives , has paid off nearly every share with x stipulated interest of tea pa cent , up to the day of withdrawal , and my clerk B tow hereto give an account of what he under-{ Sands much better than I do , namely , the treatment {{ . those shareholders . ( Loud cheers . ) Well , Mr Hob . En tells you that the machine was taken out of paws , and he has teld the arbitrator , in Ckave ' s ease , that he was : always finding money for me ; now oterve , dates are Btubbora forts , and I beg the reporter of the Esamxntr to be aecurate in hig figures , la April , 1836 . 1 sold one estate to Mr Barrington , fe a ^ e nl of Lord Ifonteagle , for . £ 3 . 600 : Isold

    £ 2 . 000 . worth of timber far a thousand ponsds , on nadition that it should not be cut during a ? life time , snd ray answer to this charge of the ' Whisu krV is . { that I never sold a stiek off my estate ; I receked £ 500 . that was due to me , and in that year received ior horses , eatUe , stock , and harvest , about £ 1 . 000 . Now there is £ 6 . 100 . I paid a Mr Large annrtsageof & 1 , 000 . 1 owed no money , and I should be glad to know if I expended toe balance , £ 5 . 1 Q 0 . from . April 1836 . to November , 1837 . ( Load cheers . ) Or hhonld be glad to know if any man living would be fool enough to establish a newspaper , not having Therewith to pay the first week ' s wage ? . ( Laughter and cheers . ) But suppose it was so ? Wbat then ? Did it Basically convert paupers into capitalists ?

    ForJlr Rider will tell you . better than lean , the enditionof Ardiil and Hohsonwhen they entered Bj service—neither of them had a second coat to his tack—while , during the time Hobson was'doing his own business at Hudderefield , he was receiving a alary of £ 520 . a year from the Star . ( 'Oh ! oh !' and fiame . ') Yes , £ < J a week from me , and £ 4 . a week % M'Gnwan by contract , as journeysien , by this stickler for the independence of labour . ( Groans . ) X 017 these are the men who , failing to ruin the Xorikm £ / ar , bave become the champions of the people . Well then , I ask yon , if ever paper with-& » a the assanlte that have been made upon ttat journal by its trusted conductors , and I ask 5 od if it is sot a commercial phenomenon , that

    tt the admitted distress of its proprietor , for oicd , I never . denied it , —( cheers and ' never , ' )—is it s » t a commercial phenomenon to withstand the assaults of this rabid rascal and to have paid £ 10 per eeni upon the shares and to have repaid the principal- I harenot done with this Star account yet . Hob-» ncameto me without a sixpence , and although this United foolwonld have thrown disreputenpon weavers Mil tailors as my associates in the directery , he was * * pot bov' at the bowling gteen of tbe George Inn , andderaSeld- ( roars ef laughter )—and , to show you thai in my estimation that was no disparagement to a ttan , 1 made him first publisher , and then editor , of the Northern Star , and to show you what the re-pro-( inetive system really is , when under geod management like Messrs Ardill and Hobson , I shall now draw vonr&ttertioB to the lucubrations of Mr John

    ArdilL as correspondent of the Gardaitr Florin , and upon whose calculations the'Wbistltr * bo implicitly relks as proof of the imposstbilit ^ of locating all the members of the society , basing his . argument upon the fact , that land becomes deteriorated in proportion as labour is expended upea it . ( ' Ob , ob , ' and Water . ) Well , bnt sa it is ; an estate bought for ii . OOO , isith thirty , forty , or fifty labourers placed * m it will only " sell for £ 5 , 000 . —( laughter ) -and thrc the estate bought for £ 5 , 000 . only sells for Hteo . andsoon , antil , after a few transfers , the « st becomes lees than nothing . ( Laughter and fcttre . ) HeEtrokesit away as the Irish poaeher stroV-td the woodcock till it became a snipe . ( Ch £ * r ; and lanahtcr . ) Well , but that ' s only the

    tbeofy of this political economist , l'il En » w . j on his Practice , as proof of the re prodnciive syitem . He rameto me in November , 1837 , without a guinea in « s pocket , upon a salary of £ 100 a year , and in Se ptember , 1840—as ray bocks will show you—I owed John Ardiil , fay this cash book , in September , 1810 , « w small i em—as wtll as I ean decipher figures , * hichthe reporters and beok-keepers on the plat-« rin « iil obli ge me by aiding me ic—I then owed ^ re productive political economist the small sum f ^ 2 , 345 . Ga . 6 i . ( Shouts of * Shame , : ebaroe / and « nBeKe sensation . ) No , no , don ' t cry ' shame , ' I ara ™ tehar « m | r jfr . Ardill , I am only proving the value "we reproduetive system . But you haven't heard " » half pf Us powers yet ; In 1839 . Lwas ' first tried

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    mTorkrby . Mr JUdiffiJboola ( hew theya » , ) he tienowadnwabakiwoof £ 13 »; . I am AeStried ud coavicted-UMConvenUon U tittia gSsaaS ^^^ Tfi ? ? : ¦*•• tour thr ^ V scSS |» JKK 3 »« s £ jSSass ^ assffltffiS mawtto York Outfe , ¦* £ iS ' rfSli e ^ jjapsS'Sfsas thinVs aatha « Wt / Ti l " ^ menUoamg these once before , andnow . mark : I nr « r r ™ - ti , «« BnU «« Tiwk . lf « A ^ JSllf . L-. i ^ l fL — *« _

    SSf |~ ; HesweaiBb ^ foreB ^ r ^ feaVd SSi jy ' « tL » caster . that-HSo farfromhaving , received any money fwm the Northtrn Star-thiU ?? 5 »? l 1 \ J ofinyown P P * y ~ P"Perty ' 'n « d , ft ? " * % * . ' towPPort MiSj Northern Star , upon the shares of which I was paying ten per cent , interest , and nobody claimed kindred ; with it then ( Ckeers , and shouts of bravo ; ' ) .. Bat that ' s *?!> *}} * £% valne of the reproductive system . John AkW 1 > pewre he was withme five years , upon a £ lOO a year , had built ten or twelvesplendid cottages , had ! purchased some heuges , had taken afarm , at £ 4 an acre , from Mr ^ W ; Becket , had stocked it with twelve or foarteen of the very beat cows , had styes full of ; pigs . ahorM . mule jmdall the best of impleKenti

    ^ , nad furnished a house—which I couldn't do—had beeome a shareholder in many railway lines , had built a factory for his brother—who was a mechanic on strike when Ardiil came : to -me—and who i in four yef" after , employed 150 mechanics as a master . Ai ^ llbee ameacardmanufacturerhrmself . purchased eeveral expensive machines , and built himself a factory . . ¦ - He had a large banking account , and a consideraWesnm ofmoney at interest ; while in Apra ; 1845 . he preferred tha security of the pauper Hobson to the security , of ihe pauperised O'Connor—preferred the clerk to the preprietor- ^ andat that time bringing me in debt another large sum , he insisted upon flobson joining in a bond for £ 500 ; ( Herd followed a scene that ia indescribable , shouts of ' ah ! ah !

    ah ! ' and ' shame . ' ) No , my friends , I am only describing to ypn the value of the reproductive system , and having instanced it in the economical management of Mr Ardiil , I now turn to the science of Hob-Eon . This man came te me without a fraction , borrowed the money to come to Leeds ; here are two letters from John Ardill , the one dated the 7 th of December , 1843 , and the other , the 14 th of December . 1812 , ia which he describes Hobson ' s character as a servant , Bhowing—which I don ' t believe mind , ( lauguter . ^ -that he is systematically eheating me out of £ 8 . a week in one department , and that Hobson had then property insured to the amount of £ 1 , 560 . (« Oh ! oh . ' ) Yes , and you shall havetheie tw « letters when Cleave ' a arbitration is

    over , and then the « Whistier * will have John Ardill in the witness box convicting J ^ ahna Hobson of weekly fraud , and telling you what his income is . In one of these letters he dictates one for me to copy and address to him at Leeds . He Bays , ' post it on Saturday , Hobson will receive it on Sunday , and then I'll answer it , ' and then he goes on to write tbe most insidious , the most canning , the most artful and treacherous letter that ever was written by one servant as an accusation against another . In one passage of one of these letters there is a most curious sentence , coming from a leader ot the Socialist party ; he says , I am not for community when all the payments are upon ' oneEidu , like insurance , coals , wages , and gas , « partially so like rent , ' and then

    he goes on to describe how Hobson has secured his own premises at a diminished rent , by an understand ing with the landlord thatrtyrenf . should be raised ., which it has been , he says , three times ; and then-he tells me of the injustice of giving mere boys ( Hob-Bon s apprentices ) sixpence an hour while working in the machine room . ( Shouts of 'Shame , shame . ' ) Oh , but I assure you this it but a sample of the sack , for I have scores of more curious letters which I will not now hint at , and one especially which I think will be a reason for Mr John Ardill not offer , ing himself awitnetsin Mr Cleave ' scase . And now I turn to that case—the strongest case of Ubel against every paper that has published it . The 'Whistler * says , upon the authority of Joshua Hobson , that I

    made & e ' emand of £ 2 , 009 . against John Cleave , and then reduced it to £ 1 . 200 . . and when a Mr Barry and the solicitors of Mr Cleave discovered that the books had been falsified , made fraudulent , and altered , aid when * I discovered that swearing , bullying , and storming wauld not save me from the heavy re sponeibility of the result , that I then reduced my demand to a less amount , and that finally dreading the consequences of a prosecution for fraud and per . jury , mind —( shouts of 'Shame , shame , ' )—that thenl offered £ 250 . to be let off . Now , I claim a large balaHce' / romMr Cleave , who waaindebted to everybody , while HofasoD , as toe manager of bis accounts , with the aid of my clerk , Mr John Ardill ( and who is Cfeave ' s only witness , )—this Hobson , my editor , is

    Ckmit accountant and his only witness , sai he has swern that I am indebted to Cleave io a sum exceeding £ 600 . ( ' Shame , shame . ' ) But mark the anomaly . ; Cleave is indebted to everybody ; to papermakers and stationers ; and his shop boy , at 10 s . a week wages , produces a note from Cleave to the meeting of his creditors for £ 82 . 10 * . or 165 weeks ' wages . ( Shouts of ' . Shame , shame . ' ) Well , but while this said Cleave is running in debt with parties upon whose good opinion of bira his wkole business depends , Hobson swears that he has over paid Dr fti'Doua ? l £ 8 O , the Defence Fund £ 72 . His book accounts with mo to another amount , and he is charging me £ 40 . which he says he paid Dr M'Douall on my account , while Dr M'Douall is now upon this

    platform , and I have paid his expenses three timea to London and back , to be examined as a witness ; and his oath was that he never heard of it before , that he never received a farthing ofit from Cleave , bat that , on the contrary , Cleave is largely in his debt . 'Am I right or am I not . Dr M'Doaall ? ' said Mr O'Connor . ( Dr M'Douall : 3 fes , perfectly right . ) ( 'Shame , shame , shame . ' ) Well , but that ' s not the worst or half the worst . You remember , in 1842 and 1843 . Cleave received the majorities of the monies for the Defence Fund , and published them weekly in a separate list , under the head of * Monies received by John Cleave . ' Well , these monies , amounting to £ 718 ., Joshua H qbson , as the representative of John C leave , sits by night after night , and denies the

    reeeipt of oce fraction of these monies by , Cleave . ( Shouts ^ of horror , and a voice 'We sent him . several sums . ' ) Well , but the 'Whistler tells you , how many sittings of the arbitrator it has taken to settle thi 3 account , and that it is not yet concluded , aad that I falsified the books which has protracted the hearing of the case . Now , my friends , here are the books . I admit they are falsified , altered , and made fradnlent , ' in . nearly every column ; but what ia a carious circamstince , the frauds and alterations are one ' and all against me , and OBeand all brought into the general account in their al tered Btate , to bring this balance against me .. ( Shouts of ? Shame , shame , shame . ' ) 'Now , here are the books , ' said MrO'Cennor , 'I invite the closest

    inspection of thereportersand the mercantilegentlemen . ( They were exhibited upon the table , when several ef the reporters and the gentlemen who looked at them , declared that they never saw so shamefaced and Bcandalousafraud . ) 'Well , but , ' Mr O'Connor continued , these frauds may be mine ; but mark the curious fact , not a figure , not a letter of mine , in these books , from November 1837 , up ta tha present moment , so help me God . ( Tremendous cheering and waving of bats . ) Yon must understand that an arbitration is not like a court of justice , its sittings are notwntihuous . Wehave met , Ithibk / seven times , and we were to have met yesterday , bnt a do ^ mestic affliction , in thefaroiljof the arbitrator , pre . vented us , and I took the opportunity of reading tha

    article of Mr Hobson , npon Cleave ' s ca ? e , to Mr Cree , of tha firai of « Vacdercom . Cree , Law , and Comyn , ' than which there is not a more respectable legal firm in London ; ' and that gentleman ' s indignation was , if possible , greater than ay own . I have given you the name of the firm , Mr' Examiner , ' and the name of the acting agent , and now I'll give you the conversation . I said , ' Mr Cree , was this published with yonr consent or with yonr knowledge ?' Certainly hot , Mr O'Connor , ' he replied , ' and yon cannot feeV more indignant at it than I do , and I shall tell Mt ^ i&rJL-jfcat I think' of him , when I see him . ' ' Sir / Tsaid , 'is there one word of truth in it ? ' 'Not a werd / he replied . 'Sir . 'Isaid , 'has anything occurred during this protracted

    inquiry to damage or lessen my character as a gentleman in your eyes V 'Certainly not , ; he replied , ' on the contrary . ' ( Loud and long continued cheering- ) ' Now . my friends , I have given you the name , and Mr Turner , my solicitor , pf 24 , Great Georgestreet , Westminster , was also present . So much for my connexion wttu the Northtrn Star , and the fraud committed on the shareholders , ' of whose forlorn condition Mr Rider will give ; youa " farther account . And now allow me to ask you , what would be the fcehngs of the depositors in the Royal Bank of Liverpool , in Scholes' Bank , of Manchester , in Reid Irving s and other banks , and in railway and building bubbles and juggles , if they were gladdened with the news that they Bhould receiyeback their principa ' , twenty shillings in the pound : and ten uer cent ,

    interest ? ( Cheers , and ' ThatVit . ' ) Ah , bnt the Star is your paper —( loud cheers)—and the Land is your salvation , and the rascals ; who live upon your labour : < nd dependence , cannct stomach the one or the other . ( Loud eheera . ) No but the villains who quaf your sweat , gnaw your flesh , and drink the blood of infants , suppose that I , toby would crash their little bents , lap up their yeung blood , luxuriate oa Woroan ' gmhery , and grow tat upon the labourer ' s toil . ( Shouts of * No , never , ' and waving of hats and handkerchiefs . ) No , I could go to bed suppcr-Iese , but such a meal would give me the nightmarenay , an apoplexy . ( Loud cheers , and God Almighty bless ' toee . ' ) I now turn to llobeon ' e tevelation—as to my mode of keeping myaccoontBof public ' money , sDDscnbtd for political purposes . 1 have given you his mod 9 to the amount of £ 718 , repudiated by his

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    genWolm Cleaye ^ bntnewrilpbt him into the ntaeas-box , and prepare fora little astonUhment ! J ? m ' J * T "W " » Manchester , ^ before au ditors of Mancheiter--Jo 8 haa Hobjon , yeaj . verily , this said Joshia , furnuhi pgthe accounts and receipts ; they are . all published in the Star of July , 1841 ; evsry item . ! Six years has Josh . had to ponder over them , and whatwasthe result ? Why , £ 280 ., due to me , and Josh , writing me this , letter : — ; .-rt' ^ i ot [ i . e 0 Ul ^ " ^ 0 tlBlltj 0 Uwas Sttch an atcountant the dearaess of yonr figures and arrane « ment actaaUy astouaded bothArdUl andme . ana gave tSe most unl VaUSedbntisfactionto theauditowf" """""" ° *

    ( Loud and long continued cheering . ) Now , what do yousaj to ray mode of keeping my accaunts of public money ? Oh ! but I keep no , accounts , this fellow $ j *¦* ' * K . eepthem upon scraps of paper . Now what s the fact as regards the Land Plan ? Why , that my nephew , ' who served you gratuitously for a year and ja half , and my secretary , took anac-« ° P V . « ia v en tercd in a book every ' fraction of a farthing ; that ; came ia every miming addresaed to me , the first basiness done , all other being laid aside j and that book corresponds to a fraction with the entries in the Star , and when entered , my nephew , whether raining or shining , took those letters each day to the' Land Company ' s office , and deposited them in the hands of the secretary ; a ' duty that was

    never once omitted during the whole time of my reeeiving the menies directly , aad a fact , which is proved by the fact of the secretary making oat his list of my receipts , and entering them in his boob from those very litters , and for which he had no other vouchers , and which « r j never repudiated to the amount of a farthing . And you will see , by reference tothe&ffr , that if an error of fourpence , or a penny , is made in one week , it is corrected in the foliowiognumber : ( Loudcheers , and 'True . ' ) Now , Mr Hobson , Mr Ardill , and the 'Whistler' say , How is it if a man only pays £ 4 ., and it takes £ 300 . to locate one , how are they all to be located V There is nothing mere easy . ; It ia upon the reproductive principle . How ia a man who boys

    ahegshead of sugar , and sells it out by pounds , to realise a fortune ? I would have done it by mortgage aitd sale of the estate , bnt James Leach said it should be kept to enable the , shareholders to purchase out their own allotments and te redeem them , and then they would be theirs for ever . ( Hear , hear . ) . Well , bow , my friends , what is easier than this ? I told you the value of this plan of co-operation two years ago , and have I not shown you that the interest is more than the ' shareholder pays for his sharp , to sutvey the land , and to make out the title and conveyance of the land ! Then , how is it re-productive ? Why in this way . If I get enough of money in the bank to secure land enough for all the mem * bars , that land becomes security to the depositors in

    the bank—eo matter how many they may be , whether 10 , 000 or 1 , 000 , 000 , they have the security of the land , the land paying it back five per cent ., and the bank four per cent . Bufbow , says the 'Whistler , ' are the depositors to cet the land as security ? Why , by depositing the title-deeds . ( Cheers . ) As to the question , whether the landjwould be convertible to meet any demand upon the Land and Labour Bank , that is the reason why I require so muoh notice before withdrawal , in order that I might be afforded the opportunity of mortgaging the land , or , if necessary , of selling the land . Well , suppose I sell tbe land , what damage ? Suppose I lease the land toGrocott , and sell it to another man , * who loses by the transaction ? The man who buys it , steps into my shoes , and he can only recover the

    amount of rent at which it is leased , as I could . So it would be precisely with the shareholders , if the mortgage was leased for ever at a rent-charge to the cttcupautg . and . ifnecessary . theeatatewonldbe charged to the mortgagee , no occupants being liable to more than their respective rent-charge . How do the railways get on ? _ How do building societies get on ? How do men build houses , mortgaging the first etory to build the second ? [ A voki : ' And mills . 'l But the cavillers did not sucsest the plan : here lies the sore . ( Hear , hear . ) How would Lord George BentinckorLord John Manners have been lauded to the skies , and held out as the patterns of philanthropy , if they had been the authors of it . ( Loud cheers . ) How would the fame of these men

    be trumpeted forth if they could show you the poor cottagers placed on the land ail cam ? ( Cheers . ) If you have fonr ' acrei , they say you mast starve upon them ; but how many pale faces do I see here who would be glad to get upon the land ? ( Hear , hear . ) And , my friends , as to starving , how many of my ohildren have you seen coming from tho country , made by God , to the town , made by the Devil , who had less money in their pockets than when they went away ? Why , talk of less money—when there are some of them who hare had the respective sums of £ 50 . and £ 80 . bonus for their allotments ; ( Hear , hear . ) Is there a man among you , in this ball , that would not like to go there now ? ( ' No . ' ) But if there is any man among yon who thinks ha has been deceived

    by me , I am here to answer for it ; and if there ib any one here ' believes what these fellows say ^ -that it has been a juggle—and would like to have their money back , lam here to pay it them . I now tell you that if any man , woman , or child regrets having become a member of the Land Company , or who would wish to have their money returned—by the same principle upon which the government haB repealed the Bank Act of 1844—by an order in Council , relying upon Parliament for indemnity—upon the same principle I am now prepared to relax the fundamental rule of the syttem , to rely upon my brother directors for indemnity , and I have now brought money with me to repny every shareholder in Manchester . ( Shouts ef ' Nay , but we won't

    have it . ' ) Well , then , l'Jl spend it all . ; ( Laughter , and cries of ' Do , and welceme . ' ) Those who have been juggled by the railway managers and joint stock basks would be too happy if the managers would come in this way and Bay , ' We'll pay your money V ( Cheers . ) Would they not be glad to get a farthing back from tbe building ' societies , who have talked of building for yean , bnt have never seen a house yet I Oh , bnt says the 'Whistler , ' O'Connor shows us that it would take so much to do this , that , snd the other , and then he eoeson , having got hold of a copy of oor first rules instead of th 9 second , to argue upon wrong data as to whether the scheme can answer , without seeing , that , owing to the prosperity of it . the directors have reduced the interest from six-and-a

    quarter to five per cent . And then it is asked , 'Why nat loek to the book at the bank ? ' Why , it iB rogues , in general , Who knowing their own propensities , would be eo exact , so minute in these matters ! They know the invulnerability of the Land Planthey know that they cannot break it down , and , failing in this , these reprobates , these scapegraces , this Ireland and Ballantyne , sendout the 'Whistler'to the county of Cork , there to ferret out evidence against the private character of FeargnsO'Consor ! Wasever gentleman treated in this way before by the press ? What do you think of a ruffian like that f Bnt I am glad to be able to meet these people with evidence of their own kind . I have a letter hei e which I will read , from Mr Townley , showing howlthe 'Whistler , '

    when he was turned out of the army , after gentlemen had sympathised with him , and relieved him , plundered the house of one . and stole a book from the honse _ of another , which he sold , and then cut his acquaintance—here is this man , who is the most degraded wretch , ( and I believe there will be no lack of evidence to prove that he had his finger in the knapsack of an officer in Spain)—and this man asks you ior argument in bland words 1 'An ounce of ivet , good apothecary ! ' ( Cheers and laughter . ) And this man , who cannot read * column of a newspaper correctly , tells me he will not meet me here , bat be will' meet me in figures or on paper ! ' Why does ' he-oVthis ! ' Because he knows the papsr cannot see him blush—he knows the paper cannot

    detect a he in bis face , as this audience could ! ( Cheers . ) Why is a man , giving evidence in open court , examined openly , viva voce , but that yon may have the opportunity of seeing his face , and judging by that , and by bis bearing and manner , how far his words are worthy of credit f 'If tbe' Whistler' wants fair argument , 'if he wishes for the truth , and ia not afraid , let him come here , and if he has a blush in his sallow face , if he has a drop of blood in hisheel ? , I'll make it jump into his nose ! ( Cries of' Good , lad , * and cheers . ) But , my friend ; , if this man is a villain , Ballantyne and Ireland are greater villains for hiring Mm ! The poor , but honeBt man , is hired for honest purposes , but the ruffian is hired for base purposes ! : only look at the men they have got for tneir

    purposes—John Ardiil , John Cleave , JoBhua ^ Hobson , Alexander Somerville , and Ce . —here i 3 a league for you ! They find they cannot destroy the Land Plaa—they find that their nonsense has no effect upon the working classes , and that the Land Plan brings In more money every week , and the next thing they do is to attack my private character . Now a comment upon the financial concerns of the HorAm Star , and I wjH then call your attention to tha private affairs of my whole family , and bad the villain assassins met me here to-night , for my own honour and your pride I would have secured for them as patient and as impartiala hearing as you [ have given me , as ( my strength consist 8 in my ability to annihilate their every charge ( Loud and continued cheering . ) What think jyou , then—when the Star had 43 , 700 of a weekly circulation and was making £ 13 , 060 . a year profit , I was becoming monthly more

    and more in debt ! While I was in York Castle jt had a circulation of from 16 , 000 to 18 , 000 , and in thirteen months the scale turns from £ 120 . in my favour , to £ 2345 . 6 s . 6 d . of a balance against me : while now , under my own management and control , all the monies received by that honest working man , William Rider , I am able to pay ready money for everything , and the Star is making from £ 60 . to £ 80 . a week profit , —( lend acd long continued cheeringi wavincof hatsand clapping of hands , ) -and , thank God , while the Dupateh and my revilers are making smoke amid the jeers ef their insulted readers , —( renewed cheers )—and all that , the copyright of tne Sror . ' and my bed , and my property—for I have gome yet—is all security to the depositors in the National Land and Labour Bank . ( Loud cheers . ) But while I am upon my commercial character , let me announce a fact which no gentleman and few

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    traders can boas ^ of , after such a ' -. life of tnrmoil , vexation , and p ersecution—I inever had . a bill-pro ? testedin ray life , except onefor £ 25 , and that was given as an acoommodation billandl paidit .- ( Lpua cheers . ) . And now , Mr « Examiner , ' write to , ; the Provincial Bank of Cork-thereil had a large ftc count . ; ask the manager , what . my habits were , and advertise > nEn Eiana for my diihonoured engagemente , and I ; tell yonthatno man in England , no man in theworld , holds bill , bond , or note with the name of . Feargus O'Connor , to ; it - ( tremendous oheering ) -and yet lam not to be trusted . I am so luxurious , I suppose ; or such a spendthrift , or such a drunkard . ( Cheers and laughter . ) Now . for ray ia

    r «« onB .. x amxttarged with having defrauded my uncle , Arthur O ! 0 onnor , in his exile .. Now here again , Mr Examiner , ' take down names and facts . 1 never had a dispute with Arthur O'Connor in all mynte . I never had an ! angry word with him . I never had an antjry , letter from him , or anangrv message . But . mark , the fact . The ' very property Si ™ L ""* -i'I ^ k ^ defrauded ^ ArWr O Connor , the said Arthur O'Connor recovered upon my evidence . ( Loud and long continued oheering . ) It was my father ' s property . made over in . traitto ray wifer , for the benefit of his ohildren—I being one of them-and in . case of Arthur O'Conaor ' s being defrauded , I would have had a child ' s Bharej . but justice compelled me to eiveevidence far Arthnr O'Cnn .

    nor . and from thai hour to the present my sister ' s husband-my brother-in-law ^ and myself have never exchanged , words rand his nam e and addreBa , Mr , Examiner , ' is : ? Standish Sraitawick , Esq ., Phale Hsuse , EBmskeane . f county , of Cork , Ireland . ' ( Loud and long continued cheering and clapping of hands . ) So that . the injury su stained ! by Arthur Q ^ . Connor , was having received the property and sold the property . Now , my frienda , I askyou , whether or no any other man living but myself . —niixed up as I have been -in the public affairs of two . countries ; watched as I am by the nation at , large ; dreaded as I am by tyrantsi with my every act pryed into and misrepresented by spies and informers , and paraded to the world by , a blackguard , family-pryine ,

    lifedestroying , and degraded and polluted press—I ask you if , under those circumstances , any man but myself would be pure enough , bold « nougb ,. and ianocent enough , to meet them thus upon the public platform , refute their every most insignificant charge ; and convict them , one and all , of the basest treachery and villainy ? ( Loud and long continued cheering ;) But that ' smyBtrength . and your protection ; Nor shall I ever think that I degrade the dignity of the senator by defending the honour of the man . ( Cheers , and waving of hats , which lasted fer several minutes . ) Mr O'Connor resumed :, Ab to having defrauded my nephews andmy female relatives , and all that ! was concerned with , I never , in all my life , had dispute or quarrel , litigation or controversy ,-. with any

    relative , male or female , with the single exoeption that I have stated—with my brother-in-law ; nor was level in an Irish court of justice , as plaintiffer defendant , except at the suit of William the- Fourth , for trying to rid the couatry of tithes . ( Cheers . ) I never wrote to a relative to answer those attacks , but I will furnish the Examitur with tbe name and address of every male and female relative I have in the world , and with the addresses of noblemen , misistrates , clergy , grand-jurors , landed proprietors , and Roman Catholie clergymen , within 15 miles of my residence in Ireland , and not a man or woman of them would gay

    that I have ever committed a mean , or . dishonour * able , or ucgentlemanly act during the whole of my life ; and I am not going to exchange a life ' s character thus earned , for the stain of having robbed the men , women , and children who accepted me as a present , and have repaid my . exertions with their trust , their confidence , and their hearts ' -blood affaetion . ( Great eensatien and cheers . ) But it so happens that , unasked for . I have two letters here ; the one from my nephew Roger , whom the' Whistler' says I robbedand the other from his mother , my sister-in-law , whom the ruffian sars I also plundered . Now wbat says tbe nephew ? It is to Rider . He says : —

    Dsib fliDM , —I will thank yon to give tho enclosed in . to Mr O'Connor ' s own hand upon his return to England . I see by the Sfar that he is to bs in London on Saturday next , and it is important that he should receive it atonce . Wbat does this ruffian of a' Whistler mean by charging my uncle with fraud ,.. and lugpingmy mother ' s and our relatives' names bsfore tha public . . Tours truly , Rooi » O'Cohnob . ( Loud cheers . ) Now here ' s Mrs O'Connor ' s : — Port Robert Hou 6 e . Ut Deab Fbakqus , —I cannot express my horror at the manner In which you * relations' name * have been

    used 88 the means ot injuring your character . You say , truly , that you never processed , or wag processed by , any person in Ireland , nor had you erer any litigation or dispote with relative , male or female , during your life . M y children are naturally indignant with those persons wh « have dared to take such liberties , and I write under feelings of the greatest excitsment lest you should class ae or my children amongst your enemies . I remain , my dear Feargue , With my children ' s fondest affections , Tour confiding , fond , and affectionate sister , Maw Lonqfield O'Coknob .

    ( Another burst of applause follawed the reading of this letter . ) New , said Mr O'Connor , I have dono with my private affivrs . and I proceed to walk into Mr Mannix and his' Whistler . ' Now , niy friends , the law . if I was not very fastidious about character , would furnish meat once with a statute of limitation , at least against Irish Blander . And why ? Because I carae ^ o you , returned for my native county , in 1832 , after such a triumph as no mortal man ever achieved before . A county in which the power of Toryism could not be shaken by money ; a . county nearly tho eighth part of Ireland in population and extent ; a county withthirty-six resident noblemen ; with a battalion of parsons whose right to the tithe I had been invading ; with the wealtfciest aristocracy whose

    privileges 1 had been assailing ; with the magistrates all opposed to metand th 9 press all opposed to me , and yet although watchful , living on the spot , and ever ready to damn nn enemy in a country where private character is of the highest value , not a sentence of tbose revelations of the ' Wbistler , ' not a single line reflecting upon my character , was ever published by a newspaper in that county . ( Great cheering . ) No . the press there was conducted by gentlemen . Well , from 1832 to 1886 , I certainly did not win the aristocracy of the county to my views , and yet again at the election of 1835 , 1 was returned by another triumphant majority , and yet neither then | nor ever since , has that press , or the press of Ireland , though a portion of it ia ready tod&mn me

    , yet no Irish newspaper has published a sentence reflecting upon my character . ( Loud cheers . ) No , it has been left for thepresB of tbe money-mongers and the League , for the press of the spieB end informers , for the press of the devils who are Bure to hate me in tbe same proportion that yon lore me . ( Cheer ? , and Wer heed them Feargus . ' ) Yes , I love their Blander , it iBmy life ' s blo ; d ; the censure of slaves ) t > adulation . Now for my qualification . This Mr Mannix pf whom I never heard before , and of whom not one' of my family ever heard before , told the 'Whistle * , ' it appears , that my qualification was made out by a roll of bank notes , one end being held by Mannix and others , as they wouldn't trust me with them , while I held the other end . Now raj

    friends , were not Valentine andOrsop . —( great laughter}—great fools to have pinned their faith to such an ass as / this ? Why , just think if money passed , it is the man buying the qualification ; who should give the money and not receive it : and yet the blunderbnss talks about holding ' the notes , fearful of trusting me ; whereas it is I who should pay the notes . ( Great cheen and laughter . ) Now then , what do you think of this fellow f But my friends I need no secrecy ; you shall have the whole conundrum of my qualification explained to you , and from it you will learn a wholesome lesson , as to the absurdity pf this principle which we seek to destroy . ' When I went into Parliament , mjr property vraa as follows : I had about £ 400 . a-year for my life , which was

    the wo * st property 1 had . 1 made -every year about £ 900 . a year by my dbnanin : bnt that domain was only nine for 0999 years , and therefore , not for my life . ( Great laughter . ) Now that was the law tf property qualification—if I bad ten millions a-year In landed property for nine millionyears . it would not qualify me to sit in Parliament , whereas £ 800 a-year for my own life , and which I had not the power of leaving , would qualify me for a county , and £ 800 ayear for my own life w » uld qualify me for a borough ; so that I had £ 400 a-year of bad property , £ 100 . ayear more than John Brigktis required to have , and yet that with £ 900 . a . yenr made by my dom * iu , nntl £ 2000 . a-year ma

    sufficient to qualify me , although the meaning of qualification i » the presumption that £ 300 . a year makes a borengh member able to live independently , whilst £ 000 . a-year is required for a county member . ( Laughter : ) However , aware that I should swear to my qualification , I went to a friend of mine , and here the Examiner , shall have his address , 'Robert Hartnett , Ef& ., Bsrri 8 ter-at-L » w , Macr 6 om , county of Cork , ' and I told him that I wanted to puroha&e a life interest on his estate for £ 500 . a-year , and for which I would pay him £ 3 , 000 . by a bill at ' six months , aad give him the reversion of Fort Robert , and the timber growing upon it after my death . This gentleman , of the highest charadter and honour , didn't hesitate a moment ; the deed was prepared , he assigned mo the £ 500 . a-year , the deed was registered , and cost me £ 95 . Mr Hartnett came to , Lon >

    don , when I was petitioned against , to prove the validity of the transaction , and tho value of the property upon whioh tlie annuity was granted ; but four pentlcmen , four rabid Tories , from the county of Cork , came to Londop , and swore that tbey valued the estate of Mr Hartnett in sections ; one valuing one quarter , another another , and so on , and that on horseback : these four honourable men swore that one ' wrote his valuation on his nail , another en a bit of slate and put it under a stone , and another on a stone ,, and they swore that they came within a few farthings of each other in the valuation . ( ' Oh , oh / and groans . ) Now I wag unseated , and , contrary to all rule , avid precedent , my opponent was seated , although in such cases there is invariably a new oleotion ; and upon the fair principle that the electors should not be deprived of their franohise . ( Groans . ) Now all I

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    knowaboutthi ^ Mr . Mannixjis ,., that ; a friend of fflinewritei ' me Bs ' follows :-r . o ;; jr . ' - . v *> '' -V ; .. ; . : , - , Mr Dba * FBAxars , —I commit the ' Whisiler to yoar tender mercies ; and as to Mir Hannlx , I ' m sure you never hoard of him . He is the natural son of Sir . George Maanixj v ? ho ; was the Major Sirr of the county of Cork , . in the year ' 98 , and would hare turned hnngiunn to hang your father and your uncle Arthur . He Is not remarkable for . anything but his political asperity , and used his , bc 8 t exertions to induce Bobby Nettles to get up a Tory opposition far thecountjof Cork , at tie last general election . I don't know thfit h « wo » ever , called to the bar ; but I know that he never held a brief In a court of law or . . equity ! yet I believe . he was on « of the . valuors of your property—a pretty occupatioa , forsooth , ' for i Chancery 'barrister . . ¦ ' •' ' ' ' ' "; ' ¦ Tours i my dear Feargus , most faithfully , -. ' * ' . . ' ,. M . J 3 ABBI ,

    ( Tremendous cheering . ) Now , my friends , I have dealt with the question of qHalification , and I ask you , it ever gentleman or culprit gave a more clear or simple narrative of the several incidents connected with his whole case ? But yet , there is another charge , and a heinous ene—tho charge of cowardice . My friends , when danger was thickest I wa » nearest at band . Did I run away from Birmingham when the battle raped ? ' ( Cheers , and' No , ' ) . No ! I was addressing a meeting at Rochdale , apd was to have had a procession in Blackburn the , next day ; a fair exme for absenting myself , but I put it to the meetintr , if my fit place was not in ^ hp midst ; of the conflict ? . I urged the meeting to pass a . resolution that 1 should return to Birmingham , instead of

    going to Blackburn . I started in the middle of the night from Rochdale—nrriyedhtBirmirigham—drove with Dr WDpiiall , in a , coach and four , through , the infuriated yeomanry cavalry—went to the gaol of Warwibk , and wouldn't stir ' from the gaol until Dr Taylor was . liberated , at twelve o ' clock at night , and bronght hini . back in the carriage with me , in 'triumph . . ( Tremandou ' s applause . ) ' When nine ruffian ' s lay upon my breaBt in the Townball , Birmingham , ; and swore that ! shouldn't addreis the meeting , and askedfor a . ropet q . hang me , ' I extricated myself , single handed , jumped over the Mayor's head-who was in the chair—and addreescd the meeting upon the principles of Chartism . ( Lend cheers , and' You did . ) Was that running away ? / Cheers nnd'NnM

    When the Tories hired their blue lanibs to murder me in Nottingham I wounded thirty-Bine— ( tremendous cheers and laughter)—at least they swore ; to it before the magistrates ; and I drove 28 , 000 people before me like a floc ^ of sheep , ( Great cheering , ) I received many TvouRds ,. but none in ray , back , 1 Whistler . ' ( Roars of laughter . ) I took possession of the enemy ' s ship , lashed it to the , Chartist barge , and sailed through the town in triumph . Did I run away when the League hired a band ef assassins to murder roe in this room ? ( Loud cheers , and' No . ' ) No ! I was knocked down five times—ray blood was shed-but all my wounds were in the head , the chest , the body , and the limbs in front . ( Loud cheers . ) Did I ran away at Ratheormac . when I

    preached the funeral oration over the bodiss of ray murdered countrymen , in tbe midBt of two regimantsofsiildiers , and whom I denounced as murdererBand butohers ? ( Loud cheers . ) Did I run Away at Henrr Grattan ' a election for the county of Meatli , in 1831 , when 1 was trampled under foot by the dragoon horses ? No ! I sacked , their committee rooms—carried their crimped voters upon my backand Henry Grattan said to me , ' By God , yon are more than Hercules . ' ( Tremendous cheering . ) Did I run away from Dungarvan , when I received two stabs of a bayonet from policemen , and had my olothes literally torn off my back ? No ! I dissolved the committee , and against all hope . secured the eloction of the repeal member . ( Great cheering- ) Did I

    run away from Youghall , at John O'Oonnell ' s election , when the town was literally crammed with military men , to return the son of Baron Smith ; againBt John O'Connell ? No ! When we were pressed hard I dashed through adoublefile of soldiers , with fixed bayonets , knocked tbe sob-sheriff downwho wanted to take possession of a voter ' s house , to disqualify him—Isiaashed in the back door with my shoulder , ran out of the frontdoor with him upon my back , and polled him before the sub-sheriff conld get possession . ( Tremendous laughter and cheers . ) Talk of courage . Sir , Ihave been four times on the field of conflict ; I have been fired at , but never returBed my adversarj's fire . The last man I was oat with was a Captain Coughlan . Take that down , Mr

    * Examiner . ' He had the credit of having shot three men , but he didn't cow me ; he fired at me , and grazed my nose . I fired in the air , and asked my Beoond , Mr Longfield , for another pistol , to give him another shot , but my adversary threw his pistol awiy , came up . and embraced me , and said— By G—d , I oouldn't bring myself tofire again atso brave a raan ;'—( gr » at cheering and ' waving of hats , ) and he and I , who went out to fight , returned in the same carriage . Is that , then , any proof of cowardice ? or have I quailed or evinced moral cowardice when before my judges and packed juries ? No ! When the dungeon was before me , -1 told them that if I went In a Chartist I would come out a Republican , and that the sternness of purpose should triumph over the oppression of the law . (

    Tremendous and long-continued cheering . ) Well , my children , has not my path been chequered ( ' Ay , that it has . ' ) And when did leader ever before in the midst of such trials preserve such consistency ? ( Cheers . ) Mr O'Connor went on to refer to the character of ^ he estate he had bought and resided at fer the people , and no man , he said , could have been more careful , or penurious , so far as their money was concerned , than he had been of the money of the poor weavers . He bad gene about tbe estate at all hours of the night , just as if it were his own , when there was any fear of anything being taken away ; not a horse could kick in the stable but he heard it , ( Applause . ) He had not squandered £ 10 . since the Land Plan was established that could be avoided . There wno

    security to the depesitorsin the bank on that property alone if other security were wanting . And when he handed it over to trustees , he would not part with it till he had made it all security to the depositors in the bank , as he was resolved | that he W * uld not be made the instrument' of enriching ene set of working men , at the expense of another set If he had gambled with the money , if he had lent it to the rogues to buy grain from abroad—then tbey might say his bank was unsafe ; but when he had £ 5 . in rent for every £ 4 . paid upon the shares to exhibit , ' his bank could not be very unsafe . ( Cheers . ) He had lived too long an honest life to make it worth his while to turn rogue now . He did not say these things to soften the asperity or vituperation of hia

    enemies , who were the hired hacks or tools of the Anti-Cern Law League . They had failed in the cry , and they dared not meet Feargus O'Connor in Parliament , for when the Bingle-breaBted bjaokguaru , the member for Manchester—when he should get up and talk his rubbish about the Game Laws , he Mr O'Connor , would , get up and say , ' Let ' s have none of your nonsense ! ' ( Loud cheers . ) Or let him say that tho League represented the working slasses . and he ( Mr O'Connor ) would fcay it was not true . ( Cheers . ) Let Mr Bright say he represented Manchester , and he ( Mr O'Connor ) would say , 'Not you ; you go in at the north , and I'll go in at the south , and see which will find the most adherents !' ( Cheers . ) He would say tbe same to Bowrtog , and

    if there was another election , as in a couple ot years there would be , he would have a longer 'tail'thai ever O'Connell had , ( Cheers . ) They were told that Chartism was dead—that it was emasculated—that it was not equal to making a policeman ; but , if - it was not equal to making a policeman it was equal to making a lord , fer Sir . John Cam Hobhouse was only member for Nottingham till he ( Mr O'Connor ) raided him to the peerage , ( Cheers and laughter . ) lie pledged himself to use every effort to advance their interests in the estates , being about to add 400 vote 3 . already by the purchase of another plot of land in Oxford-, shire . So far from there being any fear of a loss , if nroan got an allotment next Monday , he would haVe

    a bonus of £ 100 . offered for it . Some had as much as £ 160 . offered . IA woman : ' We have had £ 100 . offered for ours , ' and applause . ! He was asked , when by this system he should be able to locate all the members ? His answer was— ' Just as fast as they enabled me to buy the land . ' ( Laughter . ) There was nothing he gloried in more than knocking the roofs off the houses of the old debauchees and spendthrifts who had lived in idleness , to put in their places the honest hard-working man . It was related of the Queen , that when she was visiting at th « Duke of Argyll , in Scotland , she took up the young Mjuquia of Lorn and actually gave him a kiss , and this was mentioned as a fine trait in her shara « ter ! Why he ( Mr O'Connor ) took up forty or fifty ohildren

    a day , and wiped their noses and hugged them ! ( Cheers , and expressions of sympathy from the females ' m the gallery . ) When down in his old farm house with them , he gathered them round him with their cats and dogs , fighting for his hand , and listened to their stones ; and did they think he was the men to wrong their little children—did they think he was . the man to wring a single morsel from their board or to prevent their parents from educating and bringing them up properly ? No , he was not ; he loved the children—and their mothers also , too muoh for that [ A female in the gallery : 'Lawk ! —bless the man . ' ] He appealed to the manner of his life when he was on the estates , if he was not nwst careful and pcnuriouB in his habits as to their money , and said , ' I will tell you an anecdote about your bailiff ' s turn out . During my absence at the

    Nottingham election the oats for the horses ran low ; I ordered myirap , whioh cost £ ? . 10 s ., to go to Gloucogterto purchase oats ; I took forty empty sacks on the dash board , two model three-prong forks , and two model spades . standing up behind , and on tue seat with mei two peasanta in thoir working jackets who waH ed to buy cabbage plants . ' In pacing by he Court-house I met a jolly farmer of my acquaint tance . I love the farmers . We had some chat ; When I passed on , a limb of the law , with whom 'i'h ? f i ? , ? i ^ hira ' * & that . iwas ? fiiftF ^ Sus p Connor , aaid . he , 'the niomber for fcottineham . ' ' 0 'Connor , ' exclaimed ' the ,. legal man , well , I ' m d-d it that isn ^ the rqiomW t im ii eTer 8 ? : *' or » member of parliamant . ' Well , now , ' responded the farmer , ; ' , dp you know but that ' s the very kind of chap , we want , the . Marqnh of Worcester , our member , dined here the other

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    day ; ho came here in a gilded coach , with lour uorseB ;; and dined here , and I went to hear him ; acd such a . d- ^ aVpack 6 f rubbish ' 1 never" heard . I'Ed rather haVe'half an hour with O'Connor than ' awnk with him . ( Tremendotis- cheering ahd warinjjf of hats . ) Now that ' s my tiirn put , and that ' s what I pride . myself in , ' and what 1 glory in ^ that [ 9 what ' . gijes mei ; strengths-it is ay disregard of conventipnaliaitJ ' , ' and my' Ee ' al . tiot ' my slriined i . v nffoct&d feeling for your class / ( Loud " cheers . ) Ami iiow he would ask , th « meeting , finally , if they ever heard suoh a thing before as the presBdf England —a free press—riot content with attaokingthe pri . vate character of a geBtlemah , but actnaffy raking up ' all his private affairs'' and hie [ family V ( Expressions of indignation . ) But if they calculated upon destroying his eharaotei before he entered farliaaient , in that way , they made a miscalculation . He m ght be indifferent , he might be apathetic , attimea , but so long . as they goaded , so long would he Kick . The 'Whistler * charged him with haying fallen out with Dr M'Dbuall , but what had this ' contemptible ruffian . todowith him or Dr M'Douall '; , he did fall out with Dr M-Dou ' all—the'doctor was yoang , 6 nthuaiastie , and exclteable , and probably thought that I was rather sluggish ; but I'll say "this ' of Dr M'Dsuall , that ho is th ^ only man who left our ranks , who remained out of them for a considerable time , and who , though under the rrio ' si trying and disadvantageous circumstances , never wrote a word ' op

    spoke a word hostile to our cause , our principles , or our leaden . . ( Loud . cheett , and 'True ; he never did . ') ., Well , then , wasthata m ^ n , young , talented , enthusiastic , and devoted , to be shut out from a national cause , in the advocacy of ' which he glories . I have shaken hands with Dr M'Douall , and with God ' a bleBaing , though I failed once , I will make him the Chartist doctor of Manchester , yet . ( Loud cheering , and ' That ' s right . ' ) Haying gone through all the charges—and he hoped if he had omitted any * thing they would tell him of it—he would ask if they thought he had not done it as a gentleman ? ( Cries « f 'Yes * and cheers . ) He asked ' if it was not more dignified in him to come to . Manchester . totneethis eneinies boldly to the face , and to eo to Kottinzham . as he

    meant to do on the morrow , ' th ' a'ri to sit at home or waste words on paper ! Did they think it was any lessening of the dignity , 6 f a gentleman , and a mem * berofparliaaient , to defend his character ! ( Cries of'No' and applause . ) As for the attacks of the papers , it was only fun for him . He had only nine upon him , and he wanted nine and twenty ! ( Cheers . ); It would kill many a man , but when he lay down on his pillow , he devoted half-an-hour to laughing at them—it was only like tickling him with sugar-sticks and he answered them occasionally with a tap of bis bamboo , which taado them quake again—and he slept ' nono the le « s soundly for it afterwards , ( Cheers and laughter . ) Now I have made a clean breast , but if I have left anything unanswered , myaterionsly an- ;¦•

    Bwered , or unexplained , it ia your duty to me , your duty to yourselves , to your families , to your country , and the mighty cauBeJin which you are engaged , to ask for the fullest and most satisfactory explanation . My habits are frugal , my life is Bimple , my resolution is nerved , and I am resolved , come weal , come woe , that the league of people shall breakdown tke league of oppressors . ( Troraendons cheering : ) Are you all satisfied with my explanations ? ( Shouts of All , all , ' and cheers . ) Does any man or womaa wish to receive back with interest the monies they have paid for shares in the Land Company , or the monies they have deposited in the Bank ? ( Cries of ' No , no ; we h » 7 e bags more for you . ') Mr O'Connor then resumed his seat amid a perfect storm of applause that made the building ring .

    Mr Ridbr , ( Mr O'Connor ' s present clerk ) , came forward and said : My friends , do you wish to put me oa ray oath ? for , if you do , I ' m ready to be sworn . ( Cries of' No , no , lad , we'll believe the * . ') Well , then , I'll tell you the whole truth and nothing but the truth , and I'll begin by saying , that until I heard ISr O'Connor ' s Bpeech , I had no more notion than any man in this meeting the course that he meant to pursue , nor had I one word of conversation with him upon the subject—not a word . ( Cheers . ) And , » y friends , I ' m no tool of Mr O'Connor ' s . I ' m a working man , like yourselves , but ; there are a great many afraid to tell the truth , for fear they might be thought to » ls ; but as Mr O'Connor has appealed to roe , I'll answer everything to the best of my ability . And as

    he asks for my opinion cf him as a master , I say , that a working man never had a better master or a more indulgent master m England , or in the world , if he wants a favour , he has only to ask for it , and its sure to be granted , and if he's sick and not able to work , no matter for how leng , his wages are always there for him on Saturday night , and he ' s no man to listen to stories from his servants . And , now , I turn to Josh . Hobson , and the No&thbrn Swk first . In reading after Mr O'Connor , I found that he said that he was determined to step in the shoes of the lamented Henry Hunt , and when he came to Leeds , I was one of those that welcomed him . At that time Leeds was tho very hotbed of Whiggery and corruplion , and when I heard of Mr O'Connor going to

    start the Star there , I didn ' t like that a man for wham I had a respeot should be sacrificed , as others were who tried the experiment at Leeds , and I told Hobson that I was afraid the gentleman would bar sacritied . His answer was , You d d fool , if he is fool enough to come here and spend a couple of thousand amongst us , why should we be the f « ols to frighten him V ( Treraendpos . ' groanH and hissing . ) Well , my friends , he has said that he found some of the monoy for the Star , but I should like to know how he could when I tell you what took him to Leeds . He asked Richard Oastler to lend him £ 10 ., bnt Riohard Oastler knew his mau arid he wouldn't lead it him ; and he said , 'Rider , l'il lend you the £ 10 ., and mind , if you don't pay it , I'll have tho shirt off

    jour back . ' ( Great laughter , and ohesrs for the ' Old King . ' ) So you see , friends , that it was I who went security for £ 10 . for the man who lost bo much money by the Star . Mr O'Connor has told you that ho was pot-boy at tbo George , but he hasn't told you that he was night scavenger to a Punch arid Judy exhibition . ( Great laughter , and' That ' s the fittest job " fer Mm . ' ) Well , he tells y « u now , how the shareholders in the Northbrn Star have been cheated and juggled—but I'll tell you how he commenced his folitical career . He was the printer « f a papor pub . iahed at Huddersfield , ealled ' The ' - ' Voice of the West Riding' and got up by the working men in five shilling » hares , and Hobson devoted it to ballads , and the publication of 'Last words ; and dying

    speeches . Well , it soon came to its end , ' and how did the shareholders fare ? Why ,-Josk took all the type , the presses , and the printing materials , and I believe sold one of the pressed to Mr O'Connor . ( Groans and roars of laughter , ) Now , that ' s the man that accuses Mr O'Connor of cheating the shareholders in the Stab , while 1 am here to tell you that it is my orders to pay every shareholder that applies tho full amount that he holds scrip for , and ten per cent up to the day of payment , and no man has ever applied to me without getting , his interfiBt . and his shares paid eff , if he desired it , and I new hold the book is my h ;;» u , which ! will prove to you that John Ardill , notwithstandiiigihis feeling tor the ehareholders , never

    paid a farthing of interest , « xcepfc to himself ; and that last month I paid off . the Keighley shares £ 25 . in full , and £ 10 . interest at ten per cent , making £ 85 . ( Criesof , 'Shame , shamo . ' ) Well now , that ' s one of the men that was supporting the Stab ; the man that has challenged Mr O'Connor to discuss the Land Plan with hira ; but if you know as much of his character as I do , you would ' nt only not let Mr O'Connor meet him , but the poorest man in the meeting wouldn't consent to stand on the same platform with him .. I hold in my hand now a letter from one of his apprentices , that will give you Josh . Hebson ' s character ,. the man that has assailed Mr O ' Connor , and if it ' s your will , i'll readmit . , ( Shouts of Read , read . ' ) If you wish , it I will , but I am sorfr

    to ase so many females present , as it may offend them . [ Uere Mr O'Connor rose , took the letter out of his hand , and said ' Then you shan't read it . ' ] And now for John Ardill . He was one of . the mechanics on strike , when Mr O'Connor established the Northern Stab . ( A voice from the platform j—• You ' re wrong ; he wasaknobstick . I knew the chap well . ' ) Wall , whatever he was he " went to the land , lord of the 'Leeds Arms' to borrow £ 10 . thinking that if he held ten shares . he might be employed upon tho Star . Well , he was employed , nnd 1 am here to tell you that for fifteen weeks together . I and the working men in Mr . O'Connor ' s empkvmant , haw gono homo uu SSturdity n igffifs without a full settlement of ; ourwagfls , and Ardill ' g brother used to come to

    the Star Office on Saturday nights , _ and in mv presenoe take away every farthing of the ni 8 ney " to pay '"*"" " his workmen . ( Groans , and cries of' Shame , ' shame . ' ) *^* *~* * w Well , we all saw the way that Mr O'Connor ' s money was going , and there was a man of the name of * = -v »' Robert Hannam , who owed Ardill some money , ; , ¦ - * l- ~ an oh man of no earthly use , 5 and ArdiU .: Put ; w £ ^ 20 ^ ^ n he bo oka ^ d paid him £ i : a weoliout ^ l ^^ of Mr O ' Connor ' s pocket . ( Tremendous sensatioSK ^ and groan * . ) Well , though Ardill got his BalaryM ^ fe-v- ¦' oflice wasi shut up three and sometimes four fcslS "¦ Yr ¦' :: ^ week , ( Shouts of ' Shame . ' ) ArdillKwaW $ fcv '"' lm farm doing hi 8 Owri : bu 8 mess |^ Pthe ^ : l - old man , wasn't aUowed \ , . everaileBtet -: . :.: ; payments in the cash bookUaMW « yim T what happened . An agorit wWone day and paid , , , some moneyj and . RoberVerifie ^ dU in-thf ca sh ' book , ,, and when Ardill saw he , entered H'he gotirito a rage with the old man , artd ; tbld * hii that he didn't allow ; any one to interfere with- those books , though he waB paid a pound a ' w&ek foriV . * Well , Itold Robert . that ,, ; . .

    he'd bo disonftrged ; . ''' Np . ' say ' s Robert , 'ho . dare not , ; , , ¦ dischargemp , I-know too much about his ' goings on .:, here . ' He knows I know asmuch & % would hang a ., ..-. man . And he then told me that every parcel that ; . was charged t { wo shillings , his orders were to bookifc , half-a . crpwn ' to'MrP'Conaor . aridWer yparceUhat , „ ¦¦ was charged three shillingB to book it four shillings . ,,, / ( Groansand cries of Horrible . ' ) , Well . now , my . ' : < t / frierids , remember that I am ready to swear to eyery / word I am stating in a court of justice . ' Well , when . . / the Star was brought to London , Ardill had a part- . ' ndr ( in a card manufactory , and the letters fronj : "';" , ' his ipartnor used , to come into my . hands . arid ; : thoy ; used to run thus : — 'I xavat ; tove , caeh to , ¦ . ' ¦ ¦' ¦ buy leather , ' and I used to ' post the a nBwer 8 ; Wi ^ h ' •' , ' ; cash the same evening , while the printer of the'Noa .

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• Citation
  • Northern Star (1837-1852), Nov. 6, 1847, page 3, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1443/page/3/