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Northern Star (1837-1852), 12th February 1848, Edition 1 of 3, Page 4, Untitled Article

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    • THE NORTHERN STAR , SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1848.
    • O-iSatardav, the 12th day of Fcbrnw, vrlUbepub" lished . tlie First dumber of a BVBhlS WEEKLY J0DHNAL, ¦
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      ENTITLED 'THE UNITED IRISHMAN , ' EDITED ET JOHN MITCHEL , AVpA hv Thohas Devik KEir . tr , Jous- Mabti . v , of toug horn a « d other competent Contributor ,. r

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      < fHr independence must be had at all hazards . If the men of propertv will not support us , they must fidl : ire can support ' ourscltes by the aid of that numerous and respectable class of the community , tU Hen of no Proj > er (« . ' —Theobild Wolfe Tone . !

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      The Projectors of ' The United Irishman' believe that the world is weary of OLD IRELAND , aad also of YOUNG IRELAND—that the day for both these noisj factions is pait and gone—that Old and Tonng alike have srrown superannuated and obsolete together . They believe that the Public ear is thirsting to hear Eomo Voice , bolder , more intelligible , more independent of parties , policies , and cliques , than any ithas heard for a long while . They believe that Ireland really and truly viants to be freed from English domiuion . . „ ,... x They know not how many c- how few will listen to their voice . They hare no party prepared to halloo at their backs ; and have no trust , save in the power ef Truth , and the immortal beauty of freedom . Hi that hatb ears to hear , let him hear . _ _ _ _ 1 ' :

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      NO iF PUBLISHING . IT ! HE POLITICAL "WORKS OF THOMAS PAINE . X Complete in one tnicfc volume , price 5 s ., in which wll be found Eevei * l pieces never before published in JSngland ; and an appendix , containing the Trial of Thomas Paine , with a portrait of the author . VOLTAIRE'S BOMASCE AND TALES , In one vol ., prise 3 s . 6 d . THE DEVIL'S PULPIT , By theRer . Robem Tat-IOE . two vols . price 5 ? ., published at 9 s . THE DIAGESIS , By the game author , price 55 ., pufc-Kshed at One Guinea . THE MANUAL OF FREEJUSONRY . By Carlile , published at 153 . aHd now reduced to 6 « . This is the onlj edition that contains the celebrated Introductions , being a complete Key to the science and mjstery of Masonry . Three parts in one -volume , handsomely bound .

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      THE O'CONSOR TARTAU . Mb JOHN GltEGOHY , Draper , Eccles , near Manchester , bpgs respectfully to inform his Democratic friends in Manchester , Stockport , Ashton , Hyde , Oldham , Burv , Heywood , Bolten , and Leigh , that he has become Agentfor the sale of THE O'CONNOR TARTAN , and intends to wait upon his friends , in the above-named places , in the course of a few . days , with a select stock of isdies' Shawls , Scarfs , Handkerchiefs , Silk and Woollen Dresses , Gentlemen ' s YestiBgs , < fce . < fcc , when he trusts he shall receive the patronage and support of his numerous friends .

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      PORTRAIT OF FEARCUS O'CONNOR , Esq ., M . P ., T MARTLV informs his frieHd ? and the Chartist body seawaUv - that he has reduced the price of his lithographic faJMen ^ th portrait of their Illustrious Chief to toe following price : —Prints . Is ; coloured ditto , 2 s . 6 d . PEOPLE'S EDITION . To fee had at the Noethikk Stab , office , 16 , Great "Windmill-street , Haymarket ; Sweet , Goose GateT ^ Kettingham ; Heywood , Manchester , and all booksellers in the United Kingdom . <

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      THE MEMBSRS of the Fir * t Society of CARPENTERS and JOIXSRS , and the Trade in general , are respectfully intormed that the Society is removed > from the Marquis of Granby to Mr Thomas Jenkins ' s Bine Post , corner of Newman-street and Castle-street , Oxford-market . Hours of meeting every Monday exeninz at seven o ' clock . : Geo . H&op 2 £ , Secretary .

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      EsiBiORDlNAET ISTIBIIGATIOS . — BlRMlXGHAH , Saturday moreing . —A yery painful leDgation has pieTailed during the past few daja by the circulation of a report that a child only eight years of age h 2 d murdered another by placing it Hpon the-Hre . The following is a summary of the evidence tsken before the borough coroner : '—The name of the dece-tsed was Rosanna Morris , a weakly child , between twelve and thirteen years of age . On Sunday , the 19 th ot last month , the deceased , her brother , and the accused ( a girl named Caroline Perry , ) were together in the upper room of the house belonging to the deceased ' s parents , when the attention of the inmates was attracted by fiolenfr screams proceeding from the apartment . A yonng woman ran up stairs snd found the clothing of the deceased in . flames . She put the fire out , but not before the deceased was most frightfully burned . She waa taken to the

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      ¦ ¦ IIMIIII ¦! ¦ Ml— HI ¦ ' " JUST PUBLISHES , CB ' siformwltU tiie " I / abobree" itagatine , ) Price 6 d . A PRACTICAL TREATISE ON SPADE HUSBANDRY , being tlie results of f » ur years' experience Si J . Silixit . r 21 'Gowan and Co ., 16 , Great Windmill-street , London and may be had of all booksellers .

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      ! Just F « blished , price One Penny , A LETTER by Fearom 0 'Conkob , Ebq ., M . P ., TO THE RICH AlfD THE POOR ; To those » ho Live in Idleness Without Labour , and to thoBe wiio are Willing to Labour but Compelled to Starve , ' Price 2 « . per 100 . or 18 ? . per 1000 . : C T ¥ rHAT MAY BE DONE WITH THREE ACRES W OP LAND , ' Explained in a Letter , by Feakqcs , O'Connob , Esq ., M . P . Ts be had at the Office of the National Land Company lit , Higb Holborn .

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      Now Ready , a New Edition of MR . O'CONNOR'S WORK ON SMALL FARMS . To be had at the N&rthern Star Office , 1 G , Great Windmill Street ; and of Abel Heywsod , Manchester .

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      JUST PUBLISHED , PBICE SIXPENCB , HO . XIV . OF " THE LABOURER , " CONTAINING A TREATISE ON THE SMALL FARM SYSTEM AND THE BANKING SYSTEM BY WHICH IT 13 INTENDED TO BE DEVELOPED , BX FEARGUS O'CONNOR , ESQ ., M . P .

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      Letters ( pro-paid ) to be addressed to the Editors , 1 C Great Windmill Street , Hnymarket , London . Orders received by all agents for the "Northern Star " and all booksellers in t « wn and country .

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      T . S . BUNCOMBE , ESQ ., M-P .

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      HANLEY POTTERIES . Mr O'Connor accepts the invitation of the men of the Potteries , and will attend their soiree . He requires notice in next week ' s Star of the day , so that he may kill two birds with one stone , by appointing the same time for inspecting an estate in the neighbourhood . &

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      • - ^ . PETITIONS . Mr O'Connor having received numerous applications to support petitions when presented to the House , begs to inform the uninstructed of the rules relative to the presentation of petitions . When a member presents a petition , the rules of the House do not allow him to open bis lips upon the subject—he may read the prayer ( and . that ' s all ; and when one member presents a petition , no other member is allowed to say a word upon ijkj therefore the several applicants will at once see the impossibility of their requests being complied with .

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      The ship carpenters of Dundee may rely upon Mr O'Connor ' s best support of Mr Hume ' s motion .

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      ENROLMENT OF THE LAND COMPANY ,

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      On Tuesday night next , Mr O'Connor mates the following motion in the House of Commons : — " For leave to bring . in a Bill to extend to the National Land Company the provisions of the Act 9 & 10 Vic , c . 27 , entitled ' An Act to amend the laws relating to F . riendl y Societies . '"

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      CANT CASTIGATED . jJ ; t - ;

      D&G&WBl , T& % mus THE CHARTISTS ^* . ' "* —— JV " A robe of seeming truth and trust , : Hid cr&ftyObuervation ; And secrethuifj , with poiaon'd crust , The ' dirk of Defamation : A mask that like the gorget show'd , Dje-rarying on the pigeon ; Aufffor a mantle large and bread , 'H 5 wrapt him fa Religion . " If , amongst the Tile characters to be found on this earth , therfe is one more loathsome than his fellows , it is an intolerant priest assuming the mask of liberality and the cloak of patriotism . Such an enemv we have this week to

      uncover . We lately observed , attached to some of the monthly periodicals , a prospectus of a new weekly journal , entitled The British Banner ; announced as under the superintendence of John Campbell , D . D ., a notorious Calvinistic preacher and writer . The Doctor is reputed by his admirers to be in exceedingly clever fellow , and his paper was to be the very pink of patriotism . Only ensure his Banner a circulation of 100 , 000 copies weekly , and he pledged himself to regenerate the world !

      This Dr Campbell , or Cantwell , who is in thaVhopeless condition described by Solomon , " wise in his own conceit / ' has signalised the unfurling of his rag by a foul and false attack upon .-the Chartiets . We are not in the habit of seeing the Banner , and it was only a few daysjago—our attention having been called to the subject—we obtained a copy of the number containing CantweWs calumnies . " In the People ' s Charter , ' says Cantwell , " we see much , very much , to approve , and very little to condemn ; in the conduct of its

      principal advocates we see very much to condemn , and very little to approve . " The same is with truth said of the gospel and its preachers ! whose only fitting and appropriate type is the guide-post pointing out the track it never goes . Reviewing the points of the Charter , he says , " Of this Universal Suffrage , were the nations thoroughly prepared for it , we highly approve , and to hasten it on , is a main object of our literary and Christian labours . " He approves of Electoral Districts ; would concur in the Ballot , where the majority of the electors may require it : considers Annual -Parliaments

      would be injurious ; and heartily approves of the abolition of the Property Qualification , and Payment of Representatives . But , says the Doctor , "Wisdom dictates that these points should be sued for one by one , and , where we cannot get the whole , that we should accept a part , and continue to demand the rest . For example , go for Household Suffrage ; then for Triennial Parliaments , &c , &c . " it will be seen from this , that the Doctor has a great horror of " going the whole hog ; " he is an " instalment'' seeker ; hej does things by degreesthe way lawyers are said to get to heaven .

      The entire article is one of the most wretchedly-written productions ithas ever been our misfortune to read . Accordingtothequotations just given , the Doctor sees much to approve of in the Charter , and has no objection to Chartism , if administered gradually , in small doses and it is a main object of his literary and Christian lahours ^ to hasten the coming of Universal Suffrage : yet in anotKer part of his article he describes the Charter as calculated , " not to reform , but to destroy . " " Were a Seaate to decide for it , the deed would be one

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      of national suicide ! '' Again , « Such triumph would be the signal for all that remainedof tvisdom and virtue to leave the land , and seek for refuge in other climes . " Let our readers note the beautiful consistency of all this ! And this Dr Campbell is a great light in the Calvinistic world , ' Were ^ ye one of the " Gleet /' we should be strongly inclined to exclaim with poor Caliban x- ^ " "What a tbrieo-double ass was I , To take this idiot for a god , And worship ibis dull fool . "

      Dr Campbell levels five accusations against the Chartists . " First . —The project of physical force is worthy of Bedlam / ' Presently he says , " Nothing in extent equal to it [ the Charter ] has ever been effected by peaceable means , in the history of nations ; and it may be safely affirmed that it never will . " Well , then , if the Charter is a good measure , 'if in it there is " much to appi-ove and very little to condemn ; " and that there is no hope of obtaining it by peaceful means , is indeed the project of physical force worth y of Bedlam ? But we must put a few questions to Dr Cantwell . Do you believe that the obtainment of Miigna Charta was a good thing , even at the cost of physical force ? Cromwell is your demi-god . Was he a moral fuvce man ? You ave not

      ignorant of Olivers advice to his troopers " Put your trust in God ; hut mind to keep your powder dry . " Did the Scottish Covenanters win religious liberty for themselves , by any other means than physical force ? In your prospectus you announced , that ' ' the conductors of the British Banner will wage eternal war with Rome . " By-the-by , if the war tis to be eternal you have small chance . of 4 the victory , unless you calculate on clapping your

      wings the day after eternity I A bitter . enemy of " Rome , " of course you honour " the pious , glorious , and immortal memory" of the Royal Dutchman , " who saved us from Popery , brass farthings , and wooden shoes ; " and laid the foumlation of the National Swindle , the Bank of England and a good many other blessings , as well as " Protestant ascendancy ! " Permit us to ask you , OI Cantwell , if the " Battle of thejBoyne" was a moral force demonstration ?

      " July tho first , in Oldbridge town , Thire vim a grievous battle , Where many a man lay on tho ground , By caunons that did rattle . " Thus sing the Orangemen , and it strikes us that their "Hymn of praise" smells very strongly of physical force . We mig ht multiply these examples , but we forbear , But if you have such a horror of physical force , why . not assail those whose unjust power , is upheld by p hysical force ? Why not denounce the privileged orders , and their government , who have caused rivers of blood to flow , and piled up mountains of slain ? who have desolated

      nations and ravaged empires , and who maintain their usurpations by the cannon , the musket , the sabre , the bayonet , the chain , and the gallows ? whose supporters and defenders are tke soldier , the policeman , the gaoler , and the hangman ? Where are the thunders of your denunciation against the oppressors of their fellow-creatures , who recognise no right but might , and with whom the longest sword is the best reason ? If the " project" of physical force was worthy of Bedlam , shall those who have employed physical force have a niche in Fame ' s P . antheon _ ? JVill you condemn-Cromwell and Wa ^ ungwm to infamy ; or do you only denptinye the unfortunate ? Is

      Kosciusko the-object of your malignity because he failed and fell I Is success , with you , the test of the . righteousness of a cause ? Are your sympathies only with the victors ? Harkye , Dr Cantwell , we shall " make no bones'' about this physical force question : we declare—and we defy you to ¦ pTOveJttie contvavy—the light of every people oppressed to relieve themselves from oppression by any and every means consistent with honour .. If the working classes of England were in a position to achieve their deliverance by arms ^ th ey would be fools if they did not do so . ' Under present circumstances sound policy dictates another mode of operation , but-the mere question of ri ght would justify ; an appeal to force .

      " Secondly . — -By severing themselves from the ranks of the middle-classes , and constituting themselves into . a distinct community , and , in that capacity , arraying their order against the other portions of society , they took a step fatal in the extreme , &c , &c . " We deny this . In the first place , as soon as the middle-classes had , by using the physical force of the people , obtained for themselves the Reform tBill , they ( the shopocracy ) severed

      themselves from the working classes . Secondly , . the working men took a step wise in the ex-¦ treine when they refused to be again made the tools of the bourgeoisie in the pursuit of Free Trade and similar schemes of delusion . In looking to their own class-organisation for their own emancipation , the labourers of England gave the best proof of their intelligence , and a guarantee for their ultimate emancipation , in spite of such impostors as Cantwell and Co .

      " Thirdly . —Their rancorous and irrational hatred of the Whigs , and their proclaimed preference of the Tories , &c . " In this charge against the Chartists the gentleman in black exhibits the cloven hoof , horns , tail and all . in fact , Cantwell stands , self-unveiled , a Whig ! What more need we say to condemn himjustly condemn him to the execration of the working classes ? Is it rancorous and irrational to hate the footpads and assassins of the political world ? Highwaymen and

      brigands are , at least , bold-faced villains , but the Whigs ! A nation ' s curse be on them '• They humbugged the people with their " glorious revolution ; '' they laid the foundation of the National Swindle ; set the example of public profligacy and tax-wringing rapacity ; passed the Septennial law were the pretended friends of peace and Ireland when out of power , and all for war and oppression of Ireland when in power ; they deluded the people with the Reform Bill ; passed the Irish Coercion Act and the New Poor Law ; filled the

      gaols with the advocates of free knowledge ; embarked in a crusade against the Chartists , and by the lies of hired calumniators in the press , prosecutions , fines , imprisoning ^ , and transporting ^ , did their best to crush the democratic movement . Was it irrational to hate such enemies—enemies who had combined fraud with force , and delusion with persecution ? When the Nottingham election gave the last blow to the Melbourne administration ; when the election of 1841 hurled the Whigs from power—the wisdom of the Chartist policy , whichjso largely contributed to both , was proved by the results : —the progressive measures of Peel , and the new-born liberality of Russell . Cantwell has yet to learn the A . B . C . of politics .

      "Fourthly . —Their adoption of the rall yingcry— ' The Charter , the whole Charier , and nothing but the Charter , " forma another most momentous element in their system of mismanagement !'' What does Dr Cantwell say to the cry of" The Bill , the whole Bill , and nothing but the Bill ? " The Charter embodies the political faith of the Chartists , therefore their rallying * cry is "the whole Charter . " Dr Campbell believes in the " Gospel : '' has he inscribed upon his banner" The Gospel , the whole Gospel , and nothing but the Gospel "—or will he be content to make an "instalment" of the Gospel his rallying-cry ? We pause for a reply .

      " jFYna % .-rThe last , worst , deadliest error of our Chartist brethren is the inscription of the Charter with—Infidelity" * In plain English , Dr Campbell , you assert that which is false . There is nothing concerning Infidelity in the Charter . That document is thoroughly a political measure taking no account of men ' s creeds—of their belief or disbelief , The Charter recognises neither Christian nor Jew , neither believer nor Infidel , neither Protestant norjCatholic . The Charter proposes to confer upon all men of mature age , sound mind , and not under punishment for crime , the rights of citizenship—or , rather ,

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      the power to exercise those rights which are the natural and inalienable property of all . But the " proofs" of his accusation may , says the Doctor , l < be gathered in abundance from its [ Chartism ] Lectures and its Literature ; " arid as one proof he cites a long list of publications advertised by Mr Watson m the Northern Star (/)—including the writings of Holyoake , Carlile , Taylor ; Paine , Mirabaud , Diderot , Southwell , Owen , &c . This clever Doctor cannot even quote from an advertisement without making a nice mess of his handvwork . He speaks of Holyoake as a---- * ^^ " *^^—*—^ I ^ BWPM ^ HWl ^ W ^ B ^ WW ^ BllWHM gJWWWiWtfMMiiiii

      Deist ( . ' ) , confoun the reputed author of the " System of Nature" with Mirabeau , the great orator , and classes " Bvonterre ' s Life of Robespierre" amongst Infidel works . _ This is sufficient to show that the Doctor is utterly ignorant of the books he condemns . But mark the knavery of this holy calumniator in attempting to fasten upon the Chartists responsibility for the princip les and sentiments of publications advertised in this journal . The

      Doctor well knows that such advertisements are inserted merely in the way of business . Our publisher will be happy to advertise the p ublications of the Relig ious Tract Society ; orthodoxy , as well as heterodoxy , will find our advertising columns open " on the usual terms . " If Mr Watson supplies the " bane /' let Dr Campbell furnish the " antidote . " But we request our reverend friend to look at home . What if we make him responsible for the advertisements in the Banner ? In the

      veryjjsame number in which he raises the howl of " Infidelity" against the Chartists , he advertises " The Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation ; " a book' written to show that the Bible account of the Creation is all fudge ; and , as a consequence , that the superstructure raised upon that foundation is one vast fraud . Do you not see , 01 " clever Cantwell , that , by your own rule , we have proved you a rank Infidel \ But Holyoake , Owen , and Southwell are not Chartists . Carlile , Taylor , Mirabaud , and Diderot were not Chartists . True , the great

      man whom ' you insolently term "lorn Paine first popularised those democratic principles on which Chartism is based ; but his " Rights of Man" and his " Age of Reason" are works thoroughly distinct . Chartism recognises the principles of the former , but leaves every man to Judge"for himself of the latter . Chartism has no more connexion with " Paine ' s theological ' works" than it has with the canting trash of the editor of the Banner . A word of advice ,

      Jock Campbell , ~ -when next you have occasion to speak . of the authot . of " Common Sense , " call him Thomas Paine . Remember that that great man numbered amongst his friends such men as Washington , Franklin , Jefferson , and Lord Edward Fitzgerald ; and assure jourself , that long after you have returned to thevile earth whence you sprung , and your name and works are alike forgotten , the name of THOMAS PAINE , will be held in veneration by millions , and his works will be numbered amongst the

      choicest gifts ever bestowed by genius upon mankind . The ranks of the Chartists , no doubt , include " Infidels , " " as well as Episcopalians , Methodists , Presbyterians , Independents , Unitarians , Roman Catholics , and persons who are neither believers nor unbelievers . What then ? In this age of liberality , when scheming , money-mongering Jews , who denounce Christ as an "impostor , ' * find sympathy in the eyes of the dissenting Liberals , is there still to be one section of the community reserved for priestly persecution ? You persecute when you seek to excite public odium against a journal | for advertising the works of that section . But why stop there ? Be consistent . If it be

      a crime to advertise a set of books advocating certain opinions , it must be , at least , equally a crime to print and publish such books , or even to entertain such opinions . Act , then , as your class acted in days of yore ; resuscitate the stakeandtheaxe—the rack and the thumbscrew . Hang , burn , decapitate , impale , en > bowel , torture and slay , as once your order did , " for the glory of God . " Youcaunot ! Popular " enlightenment and public opinion are too strong for you . ! But you do your little worst . " I will not kill thee , " said the Quaker to his canine victim , " I will only call thee mad dog . " Precisely in the same spirit , and with the same object in view , you , 0 ! Cantwell , raise the shout of " Infidelity" against the Chartists .

      You conclude by declaring that you have written "the truth in love . " If what you have written be evidence of your " love / ' let us henceforth be favoured with your , " hate . " For the future , we recommend you , Dr Campbell , to remember the ninth commandment of your religion ;— " Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour ! '' A command in which we see much to approve , whilst in the conduct of the advocates of that religion we see much , very much to condemn .

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      PROGRESSION . GLORIOUS NEWS . How true the saying is , that , when a true principle is once propounded and embraced by the people , all classes will be obliged to sail in the wake of Progression , more or leis nearly , indeed , but still following the policeman ' s advice , to " Move on . " Democracy is the great policeman of the age , that keeps the drones © f society " moving on'' along the thoroughfares of life—and , accordingly , we find that the principles of the Land Plan have affected even the Irish landlords—and have won the support and patronage of the Lord-Lieutenant . From a letter of the Dublin correspondent of the Times we take the following :-

      —After mature deliberation , a number ef noblemen and gentlemen , interested in the welfare of their ceuntry , have come to the resolution of starting a project which , upon the face of it , at least , has the appearance of being capable of effecting an amelioration in the condition of the farming and agricultural classes generally . As soon as the necessary arrangements are completed , an application will be made to Parliament for the incorporation ef a compftBy under the title of " The Farmers' Estate Society of Ireland , " the objects of which will be found defined in the following extract from the prospectus , issued this day : —

      " The F&vmm' Estate Society propose purclia&ing eligible estates in fee , as they come into the market , and selling them afterwards in small lots of not less than forty statute acres ( 24 a . 2 r . 31 p . Irish ) , the preference being given to the tenant in possession , if unobjectionable ia other respects , and the purchasemoney taken in half-yearly payments . The purchase money being thus taken by instalments , the purchaser can expend aay capital he possesses in tho cultivation of tire land , erecting buildinga , and

      making other improvements ; and as he improves be will be the better enabled to pay larger instalments until the purchase shall be completed—a system materially different from the present , under which the farmer generally gives all he possesses to get posses aion of a favm , and has no capital left for cultivation or stocking . Provision will be made to prevent the Bub-dWision of any farm so purchased to less thar twenty acres , on the principle of the Act 31 st Elizabeth , c . 7 , which was passed before the introduction of the Poor Law into England . " Tho project , I learn , has met with the decided approval of the Earl of Clarendon ; and the provi-

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      * Since the above was in tjpe , we have seen ttas BiNNSB of Wednesday , Feb . 1 th , ia which is an article on ' thp Jews . ' In this article Dr Campbell strongly denounces the ' outrageously insulting' exclusion of Baron Rothscbild from Parliament , The Doctor expresses his ' indignation and disgust at the spirit inani fested by some of the leudvrs of the Church of England in their capacity both of clergymen and journalists , 'iu rotation to the Jen-question . He interrogates the opponents of Hebrew emancipation as to why they would exclude from Parliament 'ons offhe wealthiest of human kind - ' aud having wound up hisvirtsous indignation to a pitch of frenzy , be esclalnw ;— 'Ye abettors of wrong ! ye advocate * of ptrsi cution I we wait your reply . ' Yet tbis liberal clergyman and Journalist would persecute 'infidels , ' who at any rate were not tue cruoifters of the founder of Christianity ; and worao still , persecutes with bis calumnious pen masses of his fellow men , upon whom he falsely throws the odium of infidelity . ' In another article , dovoto d ' to a furious attack upon the Roman Catholics , heapcaks of Catholicism as ' the grand enemy of the son of God . ' Thif conBorts well with his laudation of the Jews ' . But Plutui is the Qod of Cantwell i and , therefore , ho rejects Fetcr and follows Caiphas ; he denounces Pius and worships Rothschild !

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      SafiSjSmi ¦ ¦¦ II . ¦¦ ' ¦ " I slonal committee already comprises the : n ^ es o Earla of Courtown and Dovon , Lord M % fifi . ? it Edward Borough , Sir David Roche , Mr MobmI , M . P , Mr Fagan , M . P ., Mr Guinness , M . P ., and several other influential country 8 ent ] emen . l&e capital sought to be raised is £ 1 , 000 , 000 , in oOfiQO shares of £ 20 eacb . The above plan is , indeed , im encouraging instance of the calm victory of Truth , and we hail its appearance as an omen of better times . int MHtSgW ** ^^^ " . . A

      while we hope that no party influence will be brought to bear , for the purpose of crushing the promise in the bud . There has , however , been an invariable contest between the Irish Executive and the English Government , the latter always shackling- the actions of the Lord-Lieutenant , when in ihe direction of improvement , and only aiding in Coercion and oppressive measures .

      We cannot promise to expunge rec ollection of so unconstitutional an act aa Coercion , but if this social reform be carried out in its entirety and integrity / it will go far to create oblivion of the past . In that case , however , and here is the rub , it must be for the benefit of the producers themselves , and not a landlord or a middle-class stop-gap . Let us no more hear of a burden of ten millions on England , as last year , for the support of our Irish brethren , while emp loyed in mischief . If their confidence in the present Government is not sufficiently strong , or if their inclination is not

      sufficiently powerful to raise one million at four per cent ., upon security of this social re * form , we can only say that Lord Clarendon will have done his daty in this direction , and that the | Government , if opposed or listless in the matter , had far better abdicate . With reference to the plan itself , it is more the excellent principle involved , than the several details , which meet our approbation . The amount of acreage to be contained in each farm , for instance , is one of our grounds of difference , We think it is far tpe large , and for obvious reasons . ^ J

      We should not object to see an extension in the holdings' greater than in our Small Farm System—say to ten acres—sinCe the amount of peor isi so immense in Ireland , and since we have always held that the best poor law was Nature ' s © ^ n ; the best guardians , the relatives of those in want ; the sweetest relief , thatgiven by a kindred hand and a congenial heart . Tenacre allotments would , therefore , be advantageous for the present in Ireland , since the fortunate holder would have it in his power to extend relief to others , to whom the land

      market was not opened , as it is by the National Land Company to all . As we have said , however , this " Farmers' Estate Society" is a move in the right direction , and , as sut , h , we hail it with considerable pleasure . And , indeed , what does'it prove ? Who , now , was right ? Those who looked to foreign competition , or an overgrown landed interest at home ? Are our opponents not obliged to come round at last , and admit the truth of our teaching ? "We told them that their foreign trade was a bubble , and that they must look to a home trade , based on the land . They are driven to do so .

      We told them that they would have to place the people on the land , to quit their old Large Proprietary system , and te revert to small farms , if they wished the resources of the land to be developed ; they are confessing us in the right , and forced to resort to our measures . We now tell them they must do so without afterthought or side-winded dealing ; the people desire the land for their own , and will not have the concessions made cribbed , cabined , or confined , by the spirit of party or restriction ; and as one step in the path liberty ever follows another—as a strong people will be a free people—we now tell them further , they must knock down the restrictions of the Franchise as a necessary consequence , since the character of a slave and a yeoman are incompatible , and the holding of the land must become synonymous with the enjoyment of the vote .

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      FREE TRADE QUACKERY . The philosophers of Laputa , described in Swift ' s admirable political satire , and the Optimist in Voltaire ' s Candide , have , like straws in amber , been preserved by genius , to show to successive ages the nature ^ of the prevailing delusions of the times in which these two celebrated writers lived . Every generation has its own favourite delusion , assuming the garb of philosophy , and professing to be based upon universal principles , as well as

      capable of universal application . In the majority of cases it is useless to attack these quackeries by sober reasoning ; they must either be permitted to die a natural death , or be assailed by the pen of the satirist . Cervantes , by his Don Quixote , did more to restore Spain to a state of sanity , than if all the preachers . and moralists in the country had discharged their heavy artiiiery against the folly of knight-errantry .

      The race of Philosophers , Optimist !? , and Knight-errants , similar to those of the eminent trio of authors just referred to , is not yet extinct ; but unhappily the quick perception , the profound analysis and the brilliant style—which enabled the Satirists to put an extinguisher upon them—does not exist smongBt us . Hence the fact that Quackery is as prevalent among politicians as

      pillmongers . Cobden ' s recipe of Free Trade stands in the same category as Morison ' s Universal Pills , and Hollovvay ' s Universal Ointment . Like them , it is an infallible remedy for " all the ills that flesh is heir to , " and , like them , it has an immense number of believers in its efficacy , whose faith is great in proportion to the slenderness of the grounds on which it rests . If ever , indeed , the line of the Poet ,

      Max n «? er is but always to b $ blest , " was applicable to any body of men upon earth , it is to the Free Traders . They indulged in predictions of peace , plenty , and prosperity , of the most glowing description , during their agitation , and now that success has crowned thek efforts , and the » whole of the great interests of the nation are in ajnost wretched and deplorable condition , they ... meet in Man—Chester and Bolton , not to confess their errors , or to moderate their anticipations , but to find excuses for the past failure of their panacea , and raise false expectations for the future .

      There is scarcely a single branch of trade with which they have interfered , which largely and profitably employed home labour and depended upon the home market , that has not been either greatly injured or wholly destroyed by their meddling . The trade of Spitalfields , for instance , is ruined . Within a few years we have seen its looms condemned either to total idleness , or when employed , the rich and costly tissues formerly woven , by them supplanted by the coarsest fabrics , preduced from " waste knabs and husks , " and sold at a price which can neither afford a profit to the manufacturer , nor a living wage to the workmen . The buyers for the large houses no longer wend their way to Spital-square , but to the continent , or the crouds intended for the wear of the

      aristocracy and wealthy classes . Instead of being the makers of rich silks and velvets , we are now becoming merely retailers for the manufacturers of Lyons and Rouen . As a consequence , eighty looms out of every hundred are , at this moment , standing still . The povertystricken and hunger-bitten victims are vegetating upon the degrading charity of the soup kitchen—on the scanty halfpence picked up by selling sprats , shoe ties , blacking , or lucifer boxes in the streets—or dying the slow deaths of paupers in the workhouse , over their allotted task of four pounds of oakum per day .

      But it used to be said , that if there was not work in Spitalfields , it was because the weavers there were too proud , saucy , and unreasonable . Instead of being cooped up in one district , the silk trade had migrated into Lancashire and Cheshire , and the change was for the better . We should like in the present state of the trade , everywhere , to hear such fallacies repeated . The bubble has in this case clearly burst . We

      Untitled Article

      have ruined a trade which gave remunerative employment to thousands of families , witho ut having any tangible . benefit whatever to showin return ; for we imagine it will scarcel y be contended that the transference abroad of the money of the classes who in the first place raise it hy the toil of the other sections of l ]\ a working classes in this country , can be nnv national benefit . It may enable these classes to wear goods of a more brilliant d ye than can be produced under our sun , at a lower price , or o £ more elaborate design than the present state of Art will permit in this country ; but disguise the fact as you may under a cloud of geneKw lities , such a process is an impoverishing one . T _ — . > a tiiii MA / 1 * 1 PttO f \ A W rl I /* frl # TTQ Tf A **/^*^ t » . — . _ » ™

      In the cotton , > oollen , and other trades , too , the depression continues , and reda ction , of wages is the order of the day . Mr Cobden admitted , in making a speech at Bolton , when a piece of plate was presented to Alderman Brook , that he had never known the trade of that town in such a depressed state before . Similar admissions were made in the Free Trade Hall at Manchester , and yet the orators who assembled to glorify each other , and rejoice in the number of Free Trade members in

      Parliament / one and all shut their eyes on the nonfulfilment of their former predictions , and ascribed the present state of thingg to any and to every cause but their own favourite nostrum , of which we can say nothing more condemnatory than that it neither averted the deplorable crisis into which the nation has been p unged , nor ^ does it , to all appearance , in the slightest degree help us out of it , now that it has come . Yet , notwithstanding the utter inefficacy of this quack medicine , they advocate it with as n \ uch effrontery and confidence as the Morison and Hollo way tribe . Not content , as prudent

      men would be , to wait and try the effect of the late changes a little more closely before proceeding further in the same course , they announce anew budget of changes / which materially affect either large masaes of home operatives , or important colonial interests . They speak as if the adoption of Free Trade unreservedly , and wholly , wiisto be a species of " open sesame , " hy which property of all kinds is to Aow in a continued stream through tke country , and foreign nations be made to lay down their arms , and commence without further notice the long promised millenium .

      Would that we had a Swift , a Cervantes , or a Voltaire to put down quacks , and awaken dreamers !

      The Northern Star , Saturday, February 12, 1848.

      THE NORTHERN STAR , SATURDAY , FEBRUARY 12 , 1848 .

      Untitled Article

      PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW . The condition of the Sugar growing Interest , introduced into the House of Commons by Lord George Bentinck on the first night of the Session , was re-stated with more ability and effect , by Lord Stanley in the Peers on Monday . That our West Indian Colonies are in a most deplorable state no one denies , and that if something effectual is not speedily done , utter ruin must ensue , seems to be admitted by all parties . It would be unjust to charge the Legislature with having caused all the misery and loss which undoubtedly has befallen

      these colonies of late years , and especially since the passing of the Sugar Bill of 1846 , which abolished the last remaining vestige of protection , the differential duty of ten shillings per cwt . Moral as well as political causes have largely contributed to the production of . such a disastrous state of things . In one light , indeed , it may be fairly looked ^ upon as a portion of that retribution which inevitably . follows injustice and oppression . The giant wrong of slavery—subversive as it was of all morality and justice—could not be expected to

      be committed without expiation of some kind or other , and the planters of the present day are suffering for the sins of their predecessors . When the Slave Trade to our West Indian Colonies was abolished in 1807 , Canning told the planters that it was expected they would gradually improve the condition and the treat * menfc of their slaves , in order to lay the foun . dation for their subsequent complete Emancipation , without danger to the interests of the state , or the order and welfare of the manumitted labourers themselves . But this

      warning fell unheeded . In 1823 not a single step had been taken of that description . All the horrible cruelties and gross immoralities of slavery continued undiminished , and in order to remind them of their duty in the gentlest way , Lori Bathurst , in 1823 , sent out recommendations from the Privy Council for the Houses of Assembly , which they were requested to ' give the form and authority of law ; these recommendations included , amongst

      others , the abolition of the flogging of women , the separation of families , and other equally obvious and humane provisions . Lord Bathurst ' s recommendations shared the fate of Mr Canning ' s , warning , and it is no wonder , therefore , that when Emancipation was carried ten years later , the Legislature should have little faith in a body of men who had shown themselves so stubborn , and loaded them with restrictions as to the treatment of the

      manumitted negroes , which , subsequent experience has shown to be incompatible with the prosperity of the planters , however much they may have tended to the benefit of the emancipated blacks . Bat making every allowance for the misdeeds of the West Indians , it must be confessed that the treatment they have received from the Legislature , during the last fifteen years , has been of the most inconsistent , injurious , and unjust character . The planters have been , in fact , crucified between two opposite parties . First the Anti-Slavery partv were uppermost

      in Parliament—they abolished slavery , giving to the planters 20 , 000 , 0001 , for a property ia human flesh valued at 45 , 000 , 000 / . But they , acting upon high moral principle , placing man and liberty far above all pecuniary Considerations , guaranteed to the West Indians the monopoly of the British market , and sundry privileges in the shape of protection , meant to aid the great experiment of free labour , and to prevent the introduction of slave grown sugar from other sugar growizig countries . By-andby the Free Trade party , with its huxtering cry of "Buy in the cheapest and sell in the dearest market , " became prodominant , subjecting everything to the magic test of pounds ,

      shillings , and pence , and caringjiot one doit , whether a thing was just , moral , and human or the contrary , so long as it saved a penny . This party gradually broke down the-fences with which the Anti-Slavery party had hedged ronnd the West Indians . First , the almost complete exclusion of slave produce was superseded by a differential duty , which admitted it under some disadvantages ; and lastl y came the Act of 1846 , which substituted for these differential duties , a vanishing scale of duties for a short period , after which the West Indiaa planter will have to bear open competition with the Cuban slave owner . It is the conflicting policy of these two parties which has mainly conduced to reduce the West Indian

      interest to its present wretched plight . The planters , we think , have a just right to demand from the Legislature that it will act firmly and consistently upon either one principle or the other , and not continue to subject them to the cross-firing of these two parties . If England still retain its horror of slavery and slave-grown sugar , let us discourage these things in every possible shape . Let us redouble our efforts to put | down the accursed traffic . and rigorously abstain from tasting the bloodstained products of slave-owning planters , matter what the

      no direct cost of our repressive efforts may ^ be , or the indirect taxation to which we subject ourselves , in the shape of protection to free labour . If the Legislature is not prepared to do this—if cheap sugar is more important than the Suppression of the Slave Trade , then we say it is bound to act distinctly , unequivocall y , and consistently upon that principle . Away with all cant and hypocrisy . Tell the West Indian planters that we do not care where vte get our sugar from , or by what kind of labour it is produced , so that we get it cheap ; andlat once abandon the useless

      Untitled Article

      " Mllia ¦ TUB NORTHS KM ¦ ¦¦¦ ' Febbtjary 12 , 18-I 8 . ? ^^ _ _ _ _ — -- ¦ —^ - ^—^ - ^—*^ M ^ " ^^^^ " ^^^^*^ M *^^^^^^*^^^^^^^^^^ iiiMii ^ B ^^ Mi ^ a ^^^^^^^^^^^^^™ ' ¦¦¦ i i ¦ '

      O-Isatardav, The 12th Day Of Fcbrnw, Vrlubepub" Lished . Tlie First Dumber Of A Bvbhls Weekly J0dhnal, ¦

      O-iSatardav , the 12 th day of Fcbrnw , vrlUbepub " lished . tlie First dumber of a BVBhlS WEEKLY J 0 DHNAL , ¦

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Feb. 12, 1848, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1457/page/4/