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Northern Star (1837-1852), 24th April 1852, Edition 1 of 2, Page 5, Untitled Article

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    • CONFERENCES WITH WORKING MEN
    • StaKW 5ttteUtgettce»
    • dro^opctattbe ^kotticlt ^rt^dttcrAtthft ^{trriMtVTA
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      classes ; and let the voica of the majority determine thVvotk By so doing the middle class will show that they know how to exercise a 'trust ; ' if they Mutiot or will not , comprehend the theory of ri ghti . ' On the other hand , the Non Electors Bhould not wait for any such display of unusual and extraordinary liberality . the part oftaeir P riv 5 leged fellow countrymen . The Non-Electors may be sure that they will get ( from both Electors and Elected ) precisely as much as they can take—and bo more . K the forthcoming struggle is to be turned to account by the working classes , the have not a moment to lose in preparing for th y conflict . Remembering the manifestations of Char-¦ , andUt . the voica of the majority determine

      tist principle and Chartist strength in 1842 and 1817 , we must confess otir surprise and sorrow at the almost universal apathy in relation to this grave and mportant question . Everywhere constituencies are beng parcelled oat between "Whi ^ s , Tories , and sham B < dicals , without intervention or interference of the Democracy . Nottingham is a striking example . . When the last General Election took place , while other constituencies could do no more than carry their Chartist candidates by show of hands , and in game instances added thereto a few hundred votes ,

      Nottingham succeeded in returning Mr . FEARGUS O'CoXKOR by a great majority . At this moment , that stronghold of Radicalism is being appropriated by three or four ' shams , ' whose sole claim to the suffrages of the Nottingham Electors consists in the possession of that wealth which will enable them , if elected , to join the ranks of the collective wisdom' and masquerade in the guise of Legislators . " Where are the " Hen of Nottingham , once so famous for heir Democratic spirit ? We fervently hope that ere long we shall witncw a more cheering prospect of union among the . working classes , and thai their movements will make a sensible impression on the character of the next House of Commons .

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      2 ? OTES . From an announcement in our first page , our readers villleani , that legal impediments prevent , for this week , the completion of the arrangements for transforming the « Star ' into the ' Star of Freedom . ' 3 Sor hare these been the only difficulties in the way of the production of snch a Journal as we aim at calling into existence . In fact , our readers mast look upon this week ' s impression as only a ' preliminary number f aud as bearing scarcely any resemblance to the very superior Journal they may expect from our hands on Saturday next . We have no recollection of a week so barren of

      • biking events as this has been . Parliament met again , after the Easter recess , on Monday last ; but , excepting two questions brought before the . Lower House , the proceedings have been of no great interest . The Domestic News of the week presents but few attractions (!) to those who delight to take their fill of horrors . The Foreign Intelligence exhibits nearl y the same dead level . The night-mare of Despotism lita heavily on the heart of Europe ; and from the Seme to the Danube the sobs of manacled Ei ght are stifled by the gag of Terror .

      On Wednesday the Bill introduced bvMr . SlAKEY into the House of Commons , to legalise Industrial and Provident Partnerships , was read a second time , and , the Government * consenting , was ordered to be referred to a Select Committee . Possibly next year Tdr . Slavey ' s Sill , or some similar measure , will become law . The important question of the Taxes on Knowledge came before tha Commons on Thursday night . As we intend to comment on this subject next week , we shall merely notice the important fact , that in his reply to Mr . M . Gibson , the Chancellor of the Exchequer , seemed to intimate his willingness to abandon the Advertisement Duty , and to be not very anxious as to the conservation of the Stamp Duty . "Under theie circumstances Mr . Gibson declined to press his motion to a divison , and the debate was adjourned to Wednesday the 12 th of May .

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      ARE WE' PROSPEROUS ?' TO THE EDITOR OF THE STAB OF FREEDOM . Sir , —The important subject ; of discussion in the columns of the daily press , and at the public meetings throughout the country , is the present condition of the labouring portion of the community . On that point we claim to be heard . It concerns us , and we esteem it of paramount importance . For parties , factions , political rivalries , the battle of the 'IusandQate , ' we care not a straw—for facts and principles we care much—for the welfare of the masses we care most

      Their case is ours ; with and for them we shall BtlUg * gle on their side we take our stand ; by them we shall stand or fall . We write earnestly , maturely , and for a defined purpose—the general elevation of the industrial orders , believing most devoutl y that ' . the safety of the people is the highest law . ' It is asserted by the economical doctors that this country is extremely ' prosperous , *— 'prosperous beyond precedent . ' We ask for the proof—it is at band ; instantly are produced long columns of figures , proving a vast increase of our exports and imports . The Board of Trade returns are presumed to be

      unanswerable ; and they show beyond argument the vast extent aud rapid extension of . our domestic , colonial , and foreign exports and imports . —We are assured that tha ' operatives' must be ' prosperous . If not , Why do yon see Btreet after street—nay , whole suburbs—riwnp , as by magic , from the green award , from the stubble of last year ' s harvest , from the hillside , from the heathery skirt of the moor , under the very Bhade of the ancient , oak ? Why do you see cottages ruu up for labouring men with a comfort and an elegance unknown to the last generation ; with good drainagepure waterabundant and almost

      , , free ? Why are there flowering plants , and worked muslin blinds in all the windows , new furniture in every room , aud the young families within wellelothed , blooming , playful , and happy V That is a charming picture ; a most delightful scene . It is not painted by us ; it is the work of the artist vbo decorates the pages of . the Times . ' Reall y he is a genim of the first order . It is to be regretted that he should devote himself to the thorny walk of politics . So rich an imagination would win for its lucky owner a

      fortune in the more pleasant path of romance . No working man , iu the absence of an especial assurance from the writer , could believe that his picture is intended to represent- the every-day life of working men . What say the more than 2 , 000 , 000 of agricultural labourers constituting the base of the industrial pyramid of the United Kingdom ? Have they 'flowering plants and worked musliu blinds' in oil the windows—are their' young families' within wellclothed , blooming , playful , and happy ? What say the Spitalfielda weavers , whose dolorous complaints have moved tha hardest of hearts ? Was their

      recentl y-held meeting in their own district all a sham ? Were those resolutions , unanimously voted t > y themselves , and ' setting forth their deplorable condition ' all * false ? What gay the handloomweaversof England and Scotland , numbering hundreds of thousands—those unfortunate men , who , on we authority of Sir James Graham , are engaged in hopeless competition' against wood , non > . and steel ? Is their organised movement , praying the government to assiat them to emigrate

      irom then- native land , an imposture . How answer Je , the powerloom weavers of Bingley , Eadcliffe , and «> 8 tnc ts , as youin your hundreds parade the streets rtr -fjT and ne * ghbouring townships ' out on in ~" notfor "crease of wages , but against an ^ crease of w ork and a reduction in pay—are you . ™ PPyt What say such of the ' Bhip Wrights and Jjnen of the Thames , the Wear , and the Tyne , « « ail ybeg in rain for leave to toil . Is their idle" « s a -willing idleneas ? "What savtbosHVmntmaVflrs .

      ""low , and needlewomen of London who starve out e . half-emp loyed and wretchedly paid ? Do they £ **' . ' cMdTen ** P layfnl ? ' the , Ppy inmates of the charming cottage filled with Eew furniture ?' i ^ ^ one answer ; it is brief , but expressive . roas , « wb P ? resfied < > If tbis comtTy ^ ere ' prospeanndred * t ^ er c ^ dren flee from her shores in natural w ftoittBand 8 « A love of country is a ^ ali si ™ n ? - » the very keystone of patriotism . tesa Mh 7 last generation cherished it in ex-* faint ? Present carry about with them but digh ttb £ nPl e ? 8 ion of the past , and that impression , an

      man ehp ' u ^ * i * raMer «™ mcumorance , ^ cW ? r- a ^ * mat has occas «> ned yap athf L jM { .- flW - » snlt of a more , extended ^ bUs ^ mf ^ Stoand appreciation of the feelings , ^ «* associations of the dwellers in other

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      ¦ P i lands ? We wish , that . we could heartil y answer in the affirmative . Has the surface of the soil become barren ?—are the fields , the hills , the dales leas cheerful or health-inspiring 1 The soil is fertile and cultivated—the scenery picturesque and beautiful . Is there not room enough ? There is not . ' That ia a common but an unfounded assertion . Then , how comes it that so many Englishmen are unwilling or unable to live in their own fatherland . The country is ' prosperous , ' and tho working men are in haste to leave ' prosperity . ' We are told to look at the poor law returns , and " there we shall see , in plainest arithmetic , the social condition of the people indicated . We have read the returns . We have looked for our . ^^^^ ^*^*^^ ' ^* MMM >^^> sMq ^ pMaBgBMMMsWsMWs ^ s ^ slBilil lands ? We wish that / we could lieartilv answer in

      Belves into the condition of some of thosa rur ; il districts which are said to be ' most prosperous . ' We have found the male population , in numbers , much under tbe female . We have asked , where are the men ?—The women answer up , that their brothers have emigrated , and they themselves work in the fields . It is an easy matter to boast of a trifling decrease of actual paupers , when the male population have been exported as so much useless rubbish , to be got rid of anywhere and anyhow , cast on the banks of the Mississippi , or sunk in the aea . Is it ' prosperity ' that turns tbe women of the agricultural districts into the fields to work , like beasts of burden , for a

      bare , a scanty p ittance ? Talk to us of the improved cottages that are being built . Why not say a word or two about the cottages that have been pulled down , or allowed to fall stone by stone into mournful decuy . In the memory of a few of the present generation , the number of cottages that have disappeared are countless . Each crumbling cottage indicated the fate of a family . Each rained family added to our pauper , our criminal , our emigration , or our churchyard returns .. Families have been forced to crowd together , to sleep incongruously , and with a lessened regard to decencyending in the breaking up of all that is sacred and

      virtuous Jn domestic life—untieing the first bond of social order ; and an inevitable increase of outrage has been met by the establishment of an unconstitutional military power , called a ' rural police force . ' Dissatisfied by the ] incumbrances so augmented , the landlords and cotton lords entered into an unhol y alliance to divorce poverty from property , and coin gold out of the bones and sinews of men , women , and children . It is remarkable , that if our ' prosperity ' be , as . it . is asserted , that , side b y side therewith , Manchester , the emporium of the cotton trade , should show an increase in pauperism and crime . Yet such is the fact—our authorities being the published ac .

      counts of the Poor Law Guardians , and the published statement of the Recorder . Why men knowing all these things can dare to teil the working men of England that their order are ' prosperous , ' we are puzzled to find out . Such monitors are dead to thepromp--tings of conscience , and have forgotten thetluty they owe to their country and posterity . Are we told that such things , belong more to the past than to the present ? We reply that the past is the parent of the present ; and he whg , hopes to separate them knows not what he does . Are we assured that it is not well to lift the veil from hidden sores >

      What would be thought of a surgeon who was afraid to probe a wound ? What patient can hope for a cure who is ashamed to own that he is' diseased ? Away with mock sentimentality ; it is gathered in heaps shout the streets ; it has dressed itself ont in lawn and fine linen . It is perfumed and painted . Those who know nothing better , fancy it to be sweet aad beautiful . Whether we meet with it in church or chapel , in lecture-room or theatre , in the byways or highways , we discover it to be sickly , cadaverous , unwholesome , ' and in the nostrils of healthy men and women it slinks like rotten flesh .

      Much stress is laid , by the gentlemen engaged en prosperity , ' upon the rapid increase of exciseable commodities . The increased consumption of tea , tobacco , beer , spirit * , &c . is asserted to lie a sure proof of « prosperity . ' We are of opinion that if the working classes generally eat more beef , mutton , veal , pork , and enjoyed what by Englishmen is concaived to be ' good living , ' fewer exciseable articles wjuld be required . Every working man knows that , as a rule , he smokes most tobacco , and , if at all attainable ,

      drinks most spirits , when he is only partlially employed , and his diet low . We fear there is too strong a tendency in our population generally , to consume txcueable articles rather than the more substantial fare of beef and bread . We remark in passing , that excessive , and , therefore , unnatural , toil , tends more ihan , perhaps , any other single cause to increase tbe consumption of tobacco , gin , and beer . We do not conclude therefrom that an increase in the sale of tobacco , gin , and beer is an unanswerable fact , proving by itself the « prosperity' of a countrr .

      Our estimate of national prosperity is not a party or par . tizan estimate . We have not yet learned to wei gh out VromanUy by the standard of exports er imports . We belong to neither the old nor the new sect of political economists , although we have anxiously endeavoured to learn here a little and there a little from each . We assert that history , experience , and the most far-seeing economy we combined in proving that the natural but generous improvement of the working classes is the surest guarantee of the peace and safety of all ; and legislation is only beneficial in so far as it contributes to that end .

      We admit the vast material development indicated in the tables of the Board of Trade , to be undeniable . We own at once that the buying and selling have been on a gigantic scale . It is possible that Jhose exchanges might have been more profitable . Our own experience satisfactorily convinces us that our national powers of production are imme » se . That experience also tells us that the producing classes have not bad their fair share of the increased wealth : and as the workers have not been enriched thereb y it is do ; difficult to know who have—they are a few , comparatively a very few , fortunate and speculating millionaires . Gracchus .

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      ' THE CRYSTAL PALACE . When this gigantic glass-bubble was first blown , we had no faith m it . We knew that it was to be meted for the aggrandisement of the few at the « xpense of the many ; and it has succeeded admirably . We then suggested that the motto placed over the front of it should he , "The cheap , ness of man ia our every-day tragedy . " As regards the hypocritical assumption of the Peace-men and the Economists , that it would promote the mutuality of the peoples , that sail bosh—the carnival of Competition , amidst a war of antagonistic interests , was not precisely the place in which to promote fraternity and amity . With these feeling * , we certainly do not feel particularly anxious about its destruction . It seems a pity to pull down so beautiful and

      rairv-HKe a structure , but , were it to stand , the working classes would have little or no part or lot ia the matter . It isnofc their Crystal Palace . It would he mada a taeie fashionable lounge , which roust , of course , be kept very select . If any thing would cause us to rank on the side of its preBervators , it would be because ol those few miserable individuals who are annoyed by its being in their neighbourhood , and . would ,, consequently , pluck it down despite the wishes of thousands . We think we Know tho secret of the general Press opposition to its destruction Paxton has mace immense sums of money by it ; and . we ' beheve , the Press is highly feed to write it up . Numerous meetings have oeen held in the metropolis to protest against its destruction , bat , we believe , it is doomed Suppose this were to be its epitaph—? ' Be morluis nil nisi eosb ' -bm !"

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      FATAL EXPLOSION ON BOARD A STEAM-VESSEL-. TWO L 1 TES LOST .

      Yesterday information was received at Lloyd ' s , of an explosion that took place on board the Camwton steamship , by which two persons lost their lives . It appears from the particulars received , that tho Camerton was on henoyage from Hull to Kotterdam , and when off Yarmouth , the iron tube that conveys-the steam from the boiler to the cylinders burst . The engineer , who was attending to his duties , and standing close by , was 8 eTerely scalded , and two of the stokers { firemen ) , who happened to bo in their hammocks at the time of the aocident , lost their lives , whether b y scalding or suffocation , has not been ascertained . Ito Camerton was taken in tow by the Glen Albyn steam-ship , al , o bound to Rotterdam , and taken to that port .

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      THE RIVAL OPERA-HOUSES

      BEKJA 1 IIN WUlEr V . JOASKA WAGNER , AtBBRJ WAQJJEB AND PBEDBMCK GTB . * At yesterday ' s sitting , Mr . Bacon ( with whom was Mr . Hialop Clarke ) said that he was instructed ro move ex pane for an injunction against the defendants . The object of the motion was to restrain the defendant Joanna Wagner from acting and singing at Covent-garden , as she was advertised to do to night . After hearing counsel , the order was then made for the e » mrte ; injunction , substantially to the effect prayed by the plaintiff m his bill .

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      A Mother avd Son Cokdbmnbd to Deuh . —Sarah Anderson , or Fraser , aged forty , and her son , James Fraser aged 17 , were arraigned at the Inverness assizes for the murder of William Fraser , husband of the one prisoner and father of the other , by administering to him poison . The deceased was an innkeeper at Liver , and upwards of sixty years of age . In the course of last September the deceased was suddenly taken ill , was seized with violent vomiting and . purging , and m a few days died . At the time his death did not excite suspicion . His body was interred in the churohy . ird of Kigg , and iu the course of a few days some mysterious reports got into circulation as to his fate . : The body was disinterred , and the contents of the stomach being analysed , it was found that he had died of arsenic . After alengthenedtwaithe ^ ury fo tina' - 'tbM Guilty , but recommended them to mercy . Hi g lordship passed tbe usual sentence opon them ,

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      THE WORKING TAILOftS' ASSOCIATION , A CHAPTER TOWARDS THE ASSOCIATIVE ***

      HISTORY . . PRELIMINARY REMARKS . The oak is contained in the acorn , the universal in the individual , and even as the history and experience of one man ' s life may be a matter of national interest , bo may the history and experience , the ori gin , rise , errors , and bugcosaes of one Association conMn a warning , a stern lesson and a wholesome example for all Associations tbat follow after . It is an old sayinp , " that a fool may profit by his own experience , but a wise man profits by tbe experience of others . " Pioneers are usually sent in advance to clear away obstructions and unveil the pitfalls ; and so in this cause , we should reap advantage from those who have gone before us , why should we eternall y repeat their errors and

      blunders ? They have erected signposts to mark the spots let us read them . Their failures in the Past we should make the stepping-stones for our success in the Future . With this view , I propose to jot down a few facts relating to the " Working Tailors' Association , " which claims to be the Siandard-bearer of the present Co-operBtive Move , ment . It is preeraicent among the London Assertions * , as being first in starting , fitit in success , and , certainly first in blundering . Its history has yet to be written j the present editor of the " Journal of Association , " wrote a sketch of it in the earliest part of its career ; and Walter Cooper also contributed a portion of its history to the " Christian Socialist ; " but the- putoic can have no definite idea of the matter , as such a mass of misrepresentation haa been circulated , and innumerable confli cting statements

      made respecting it . This Association does not assume to be the Hoses of the nineteenth century , missioned to lead the people out of their worse than Egyptian bondage , but if does assume to aim a bl' » w at that Moses of this century who is leading and crunbing them into tbat deeper and bitterer slaverj—MoBes of the "Mart , " whose customers are martyrs . Moreover , though not the first English Aseo . ciation established on the Co-operative principle , it is the first tbat purposes devoting one-lhird of its profits to assist the establishment of other Associations upon the same principle . It also , of all blhers , claims to have made Asso . ciation a veritable , practical , living fact . And that is worth much in this age of theories and palaver-panaceas . It is worth more than much . preaching . It has very forcibly illustrated what working men may do in spite of all present difficulties , if they will but unite and direct their

      own industrial energ > ea with their own intelligence for their mutual benefit , and work for each other instead of working against eBch . other , ; and competing with each other in a hand . to-throat strife for the means of living , eves while they permit the capitalists to stand like the Croupier at the head of the gaming board and rake up all the wealth , which they , poor gamblers , for life and death have toiled , and hun . gered , and suffered , to produce . We , the advocates and ex . pnnents of the associative princi ple can now say to its opponents , combat association in theory and on paper as much as you please , and bb successfully as you may , this associatton in practice is a far different thing ; now combat that . You have said that working men did not possess business tact necetaary to the carrying on of business on their own

      account . You have said that working men would never sufficiently conquer their mutual jealousies , and vanquish the ^ r mutual distrust , and work together in fraternal unity . We can now reply—come See how signall y your taunts and assertions have been defeated . We have replied to you by silently working out our mali gned , but glorious principle ? and now we are triumphantly successful . I do not write about this experirnent because it is arrogated that a few tailors assembled in Castle-street , for their mutual , mental , moral , and monetary profit will save the world . Nothing of the kind . But their rise and progress has been anxiously

      marked by deeply interested thousands , and the name of association has become a magic word of talismanic influence . it has been a rallying sign for those who have long waited in doubt and darkness , looking for a sign , and day by day nas the tide set in in our favour , gone surging and surging onward , and swift success has crowned our efforts . Day by day has new strength been added to the ^ movement , not only in town and city , but in the obscure nodks of village and hamlet . This is success which cannot be contravened . These co-operative associations and stores may yet go down , hut the lesson learned by those who have worked in them

      can never be forgotten ; the insight obtained into the practical working of self-government—the glimpse they have caught of tbe beauty and blessing of brotherhood—can never be effaced . They will have learned that the man who is a slave in his own heart , and a tyrant in his own household , would be a slave and a tyrant still , even though Bocial and political thraldom were abolished to-morrow , an experience which can never be lost , while the fact of such associative success , in the face of such difficulties , must live on as a matter of history , bearing proud testimony to the truth and vitality of our principles . Of course , the associative tree , like other fruit-trees , bias not born all ripe and sound fruit for its firstlings ; it has had its bitter crabs and rotten windfalls ; but this we may say , that its worst and rottenest fruit has not been the . result of natural growth ; but of pernicious grafting , in spite of which it has yielded a generous harvest .

      Nor was it anticipated that all would he smooth and serene , —we expected the storm . and strife . The pioneers of any new cause have usually rougn work to perform , and they must be prepared to face danger , and to conquer difficulties , if they would achieve success . God knows at what a cost great principles and . noble truths have ever had to be established in the world I They have ever demanded from their enunciators and champions the greatest of self-denial the sternest self-sacrifice , and the roost undaunted heroism The best days of the best lives must be devoted to them and it needs that their apostles should toil terribly through long years with the zeal and the faith of martyrs , to endue them with enduring , life , and make tbe'world acknowledge them . This has been the history of every great cause , and

      of every immortal idea that have warred with the world-and the old anarch Custom , through all the ages . And we did , not expect . the Socialist idea to be tbe one grand exception . See now I we have against us mighty monopolies of capital , law , and government ; and not only have we to fight these * bat , worst of all , ' we shall have to bear with , and to live down the jealousies and prejudices of our own class , which will be excited against us ; for bo fatally have want and misery done their damning work on thousands , that their redemptioo will have to be wrought om as much in their despite as by their assistancei All this , I repeat , we expected ; but , in turning our attention to self-government on a small scale—in humbly endeavouring to realise the republic in the workshops—in clubbing our little monies for the purpose of carrying on production and distribution on

      onr own account , we might , not have expected to be indiscriminately and virulently maligned and . attacked by the professed friends and representatives of the working . classes . Nor did we deserve to be taunted as being the reci pients of " -deiwTtAiztag charity , " who paid four per cent , interest for the capital worked with . Again , as , working-men , we anticipated being frequently found illustrating that peculiar fraternity so often existing between brothers , a kind of chartered right of quarrel ; and , as associates , we arrogated to ourselves a kind of associative prerogative to . pitch into each others productions and proceedings ; but we did not trade in it , nor did we extend such co-operative privilege to those who did . And , like tlie affectionate mother , who 11 would ' ut let nobody else have the pleasure of walloping her . own child , " we ^ reserved to ourselves our own

      quarrelling , and bickering , and claimed to be monopolies in mutual chastisement . But , more of this hereafter . With all onr oppo&Uwa , vsA nmtepTesBntation , the - lot of the pioneers of Socialism in this country is light and easy to theirs who have gone before in many another cause . We have a smooth path , compared with those who . have lived and laboured for mankind ' s advancement in the pa » t . Yet there will he that to hear which will need a true heart and a lofty faith . Association will not be wrought out without a tedious and painful probation . We shall see many an unsuccessful attempt , many a fafoe friend slinking from the contest , and many a break up of old friendships into hitter and sorrowful strife . Even on the day of starting we may , standing on tbe delectable mountains of hope , admiration , and enthusiasm , get a glorious glimpse of the laad of promise , smiling there in the far future : but , friends , there is

      many a dark shadowy valley , and many a rugged wilderness between , with no glimpse of the Canaan to be seen . Yet let vis letQember , tiai % even then we are nearing the social cynosure , and to-morrow may see us on a loftier summit Still , with one more difficulty vanquished , one more proud march of progress made . Let us take heart ; the ri gb . is with us , and the genius of liberty watches over us . Courage . And yet these divine ideas of Liberty E quality , and Fraternity , which the brave and hopeful yet think . to translate into every-day life , ' shall govern the world and bless humanity . Gerald Masse ?/ .

      Conferences With Working Men

      CONFERENCES WITH WORKING MEN

      Some three or four years ago , Professor Maurice and some-other gentlemen of the legal and clerical professions , anxious to get at the working-men and establish some kindly , interchange of feeling with them , held some conferences , which were well attended by working men ; their best practical result has been tho establishment of the present Working Associations now in successful operation in the metropolis . The success of tbat Bevies of meetings ha 3 determined the promoters of this associative experiment to resume them . The third of the new series was held on Wednesday evening , at the Working Tailora' Association , 3 t , Castle-street Bast , Oxford-street , London ; luTli ^ atten * dance was numerous , including . Jhe-Rwr Mr * Maurice ^ Mrl Ludlow , Vi 8 count if 3 q ^ er , icb f ' ja . Ti 4 , « nuwtanooftdeadittjp men connMed with pa 8 tan 4 ; p ' r ^ Bn ); r . ' , l oT «! ftd « 8 i « Ufliod 8 i 3 ' e ' jab 8 subject for debate was that adjourned from lnst weok , viz ., — " Trades Unions in the ^ agt , the Present , and the Future . ' '

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      , &ssKi * as % « yidual labourer was easily crushed by th ft ««« » rhemdiso with a band of men , when firmly anitti W ?* ; nofc interest and fraternity .- Mr . 1 £ iff ^ l 5 fiL boBd > I «' and interesting speech , ° wm ™ i an able Mr . Walter Cooper said he concurred in much tint i » a fallen from the previous speaker j much good 1 had KiSS from Trades' Unions although they hauVlled inKLI up wages ; and agreed entirely with John Bates , when h ! said you must " raise up the lowest , or they will draeyou down to their level . " , *' Viscount Goaerlch said he was napyy to find that nothinn had bebn advanced agnnst the principle of union thev had certainly done gori service in past times , and ' prevented wapes falling to slop level . Self-employment he thought was well calculated to bring peace between Labour and Capital nnd must tend largely to social amelioration . ' ptnii . i , , " - ' - ^*

      -Mr . J . D . Styles , Secretary to the Operative BuilderB * Union at the time of the great strike , entered at length into a history of Trades' Unions , and suggested the propriety of calling together the heads of trades' bodies with a view to the carrying out , on a large scale , the principle of self-employment . Mr . Hooper followed in an able speech in defence of Trades Unions , ? and said , they did not hear of the riehts of vegetables , and he could not conceive what right minerals ( capital ) had to protection any more than vegetables Mr . J . Douthwaite , one of the Executive Committee of S ? ' ate YT on soIld ated Uawn ave an interesting account of Trades' Unions in the past . Mr . J . J . Bezer followed in a most amusing speech , relating to the rise and progress of the Costermoneers" TTninn

      and the good results to the dealers in fish ; and at the same time delivering a most severe castigation to their ODDonentthe very pioas Alderman Wire . v The President , Professor Maurice , very ably summed up the various arguments that had been used pro . and con , and s&id good practical results could not fail to flow from such discussions . , The meeting , by vote , declared that the next subject for discussion shall be—" What system of Co-operation shall we adopt for the future ? " To be opened by Mr Lloyd Jones , on Wednesday evening , May 5 th . —Adjourned '

      Untitled Article

      THE PROGRESS OP CO-OPERATION IN AMERICA The movement for tbe organisation of Union Stores , as they are called , still advances in the interior of this State and in various parts of New England , notwithstanding the warm opposition of the merchants in many localities . ine object of these organisations is to supply their members with dry goods , groceries and other articles of consumption usually obtained from the merchants , without the pront which the latter impose . The inhabitants of a village or sonool district , for instance , combined under suitable rules , eaoh putting in a due proportion of money to start with , and appoint a Business Committee , with an agen l to go to the city and buy for them all togetherThe

      . goods are brought home and eaoh receives what he has ordered , at wholesale cost , with a small additional charge sufficient to cover the pay of the agent and the other con ' tingent expenses . If the Union is laree enough , a store is taken , and kept open every day , and the agent is con . stantly employed , with other help if neceBsary , though as the business is all done for cash , comparatively few clerks will be required . This is aUnion Store , and if the Committee and the agents are competent and faithful , the members will be supplied with goods at from 20 to 88 » per cent , cheape r than the merchants , who must live ' and get rich by their busmess , can afford to sell them . This 8 aV . ng is one which benefi s direotl y the mass of the people : it makea the man

      witntno dollar « s rich as one with a dollar and a quarter was before ; and thus the general amount of comfort , enjoyment , and independence amoncr the population is very con-Biderably increased , while the Union Store dispenses with the necessity hv Bueh competition by furnishing goods always at wholesale cost , and charges , without adding anything for profit , it releases a large number of persons from the occupation of storekeeping , to ensraee in other employ , montsofa more productive nature . Instead of remaining as commercial agents to be supported b y the public , they go to increase the great array of producers , who employ the diminished number of commercial agents now required . The machinery of commerce is thus simplified , its expenses them ineraM d DUmber ° PerSOnS Wh ° haV 8 ^ bear lfc is perhaps natural for the merohants to oppose this nn T ^ ? oT i « " \ ten 810 take from tnein the buainesB on which ts based their hope of Retting rich . But this is not a good reason for rejecting the new nlnn . nr ft * „;„¦„„

      t up where it has been found successful . The interest of the masses ought a waysto be preferred to that of the few , and always will be in a free country . A much more commendable course is that adopted b y one or two mer-? &X ? i n ? urkno ? le dge . Instead of proclaiming the Union system impracticable , and endeavouring first to prevent the establishment of union Stores in th 4 r vicinity , ana tnento injure them after they were established , these men ilU one iinto the movement themselves , giving it the benefit of their business experience , advice , and assistance . Sm a 8 . , ct S 4 hn ) anly public spirit , and has insured . them as it deserved , the enlarged esteem and respect of their fellow-citizens . —New fork Tribune '

      Untitled Article

      THE AMALGAMATED SOCIETY OF ENGINEERS . PUBLIC MEETING OP THE TRADES OF LONDON . A nublie meeting of the Trades of Londou , to aid the Engineers m their resistance to the " Voters' Declaration —which the editor of the •« Dispatch" states ho would rather break stones upon the road than sign—was held at IU ™ n s Hall , Long-acre , on Thursday evening , April AuK 3 Sf were represented by their deie 2 atM

      -Mr . Joseph Wood ( Stoneman ) was called to the chair , t ? \ i A ~^? ai P "Peach , opened the proceedings . He stated that a resolution and a petition to the House of Commons would be submitted to the m ^ edne . He did not think much of the House of Commons , seeing the peonle were not represented therein . ( Loud nhpm . ) He called on them to continue their support to the Operative Engineers , and then tho ^ eclarationists must succumb to the will of the united millions . ( Loud cheers . ) Ho would now introduce ' ¦ _ Mr . Turner ( Stonemason ) , who mnVp . l the first resolurl ° l ~ 1 ^ *? 'Operative Engine-m . expellsd from their

      employment by an AssocintionV Em "lovers , having , during fifteen weeks , submitted to privations of an extreme character , in the endeavour to procur » n amelioration of the ^ vorkmans position ; having also , during that time , conduoted themselves in a manner- worth y of the principle for whioh they were contending , thi « nWting is of opinion that they have deserved well of the worki ng chases of this country ; and as the Associated Employers have left their operatives no other alternative between a dishonourable submission to ¦¦ their arbitrary rule , or compulsory idleness , with its consequent evils and privations , it is imperative on svery workman to exert himself to the utmost in supporting the operates , and in

      avertingirominemanatromthe Trades of Britain , the iniury and disgrace which would ensue from their submission . " Mr . Turner said , the position of the Engineers to-day might be that of any other trade to-morrow ; the builders even might be the next victims . ( Hear , hear . ) Hence . it behoved them to urge those with whom they were associated to subscribe most liberally , and thus prevent such a calamity . He asked the workmen to be equally earnest in frZ ^ Tv , tb oppressor jn his work of tyranny . ( CheersO He conoluded by . submitting the resolution . Mr . Walford ( Pimhoo , Working Builder ) , in seoondine the resolution ,- Bald twenty millions of money had been raised to emancipale the West India elaves , but white slaves were still allowed to wear their chains . He was fm . re-hoiatin v tbe banner , inscribed "Am I not . man and II brother ? ' UntilHthe chains were knocked from all the question for their consideration was , shall the Engineers submit ' -shall they be allowed to pine in want and degradation ? If they gave a negative retrty . thev must beTun

      and attrnng , and , by their exertions , give practical effect to their sympathy . A sacrifice of only one pint of fourpenny ale per day from each would effect the much desired object . SSSvS "'* ? 5 T ? a 8 um of twenty . flve thousand pounds was put down mas many minutes , to resist the Protectionists ; the firat subscriber being one of those who oppressed the Engineers . ( Loud shouts of "Hear , near . ) Let the workmen follow this example on behalf of the oppressed mechanics , and suocess was certain . He S ? 1 T £ v ? ! PorliamenMtremendous nf " I ISSh Vn- ^ t ™ , ! S - 8 etttiDg th 0 ? * q ^ ation , > JSh ?* , f D {; C ? pI ? l- < Oontinued cheering . ) He thought iw ™ l l to iiook { ° 7 ar d ' ^ nd haste on the good time ^ f tLf , t v . ? Uld " r . l k f 0 r th , omse tos . and enjoy the fruits l ^?^ r- ^ res <> l « tion affirmed that the EneXtr 6

      . En woula i ^ ffl ^ P ^ onsrHeTrus ed This ( LoudTeers ) P ^ mry mn doin * M * - Z ^ pj& ^ S&Jt ^ t move tbe ev . ls affecting their trade , \ 5 z # 1 SceSk id W ^ s ^^ aW . % &assj&&& -but there was an immense difference Between t £ f nrbduction of wealth and general h appSf' fcEs i ^ How ouin lug hn

      . < J , UUI » men WnOiHad cepn . niinnnv ^ J ¥ hn Amalgamated Society had «] & , SK » H « K allowanoe- ( he r , heaV ^ TOiK ^ men had amounted to 26 sVper weelJ"StSW 'W * WT were compelled ^ aaffih ? t « li ^ | ''' ' RF ''^ W seratittAfl 1

      iT »* k- ' , enaeaTO «« d foslfb'W tH 6 EmpIbyerfl n 1 f . ff ? teintHe ! ' 8 ^ was that of the Operatives . They had succeeded with those of tbe metropolis , until , unfortunately , on m eyjl day , a deputation

      Untitled Article

      had come . from Manchester , headed by Platts and Co ., the result of which was , that the Employers closed , tbeir shops , and threw thousands out of employment . They remained thus closed for one month ; and they re-opened with tbat declaration vrbioh was an outrage to humanity , ( Great applause . ) Well they knew ho w inadequate their own funds were ; consequently they had appealed to * their fellow workmen , and they must express their deep gratitude for the great support they had reoeived . ( Lou'd th « f * ' \ There were as mnny noff receiving support from •!*> iund « of the Amalgamated Society as there were on the ™ L fi !" t day of the Strike . He did not mean to deny hnH ? r _ i ? . statements as to the number of men who , ., ,

      vaeahnn £ u declaration ; but these were some of the could not fit had trod tho sheets of London , and who had appondna ft mploymenfcanywnere in < l uiefc time 8 ' wbt > When thea « i their name 8 a dozen times over . ( Cheers . ) gates , the dV , presei * ted themselves at the Employers ' mediately anoS T ? - handod to thera ' and they im ' Said , when WQwTt heir name 9 ' The Employers then , This farce wa S *? . send ^ *>»> ( lW « er . ) covored that some had [ n , i ga m J re P eate ( i » and ib was dls " twelve different places hiiHvT tUerase ^ es at as many as had appended their name ^ to ^ ^ berof « ood men who Yet the Masters " ill SSilltedS * lndced - ( Loud cbee ^ ' > document , although Ct \ T » W ? demands . ' The Jtaaters hS thS . hf thdraWB th . * " ! $ exhaust their funds and their Patffim month WouId kept olosed for precisely ha ? £ tod ^ ffiW } H faith under privation and suffering for fiftS S " tt cheers . ) Some now asked the quesSSS ^ tahjiir the consumption of £ 40 , 000 , and the decl « aUnn . rn ed m tinning on ? he gates of the employers , S ^ enot ^ justified m signing it without having the tout ffintton « f Wg our ' word * , u it ia forced A us , and ou « S hVJ t

      «« Q 3 unwii , ng compliance ? " In reply to whioa he ( Mr Newton ) aid- « If they did they would be placed in one Jj two positions-first , if they signed without any intention " of acting up to their signatures tney would be public liars in the second , if they did act up to it , they would at onca b oma ^ industrial serfs . " Was it not disgraceful that mea should be driven to such alternatives ? He appealed for iurther support to prevent so dire a necessity . ( Hear . ) £ e t the 14 , 500 men still be supported , and they would conwnuo their manful resistance until success crowned their enous . ( Tremendous and long-continued cheering . ) ine resolution was carried unanimously . *• ™« ao ? ( Shoemaker ;) ia a briof but emphatic speech , proposed the second resolution , as follows :- " That in con 2 !! ° , the ra W accession of industrial disputes ,- this meeting is of opm oa tint a federation of the trades of Bti * Drpvnnro « elvbemion oatvade 8 ' matters , is necesiary to prevent a recurrence of similar disastr events !" if mii uiDaouuus croubo

      ous Hfftir w »*»* * ™ ' 2 > ( Bootmaker , ) seconded , tu 8 motion , which « w carried unanimously . m oS ' iiH ; . ^*? ( se etary to the Trades' Federation , ) "Th « « , Sm S ° ^ ^ 5 SE OF . PARLIAMENT . LonSn ^ u ^ Q ^ . ? blio meeting of the Trades' of of vfcm ? 1 VnSt' ^ rtin > Hal 1 ' ipnWe , in the city of Westminster , on Thursday April 22 nd , veaf nTuTn n ™ ^ - P «^ ent made in the Sixth TftSLJi ffc £ G W the Poutthl intituled -An Act to IZ J ]\\ ^ Law 8 , Rela t'ngt 0 the Combinations of Work- - SMh ? i , * * n" * ° <* Provisions in lieu thereof , " it is provided that the said Act should not extend to subject an * KJ ° P " 18 hm 9 nt wh <> shall meet together for tft soie purpose of consulting upon and determining the rateof

      « rW f iu eswhlchthe P erson 8 P resentat 8 U 0 hMeeting wJk ^ m 8 ha 11 re 1 uire or demand for his or their in °£ , ££ ? p ° T tim 8 forwhich he or theT 8 hal 1 W 01 * in any manufacture , trade , or business , or who shall enter Tm&l J 1 B 8 wem " > VTarbal < K written , among tuemaelvea the nX / Tt - ' - gtherate of wa « <> r prices which tne parties entering mto such agreement , or any of them ofSn « Z w A M his «* Wr «* . or the houS twKS ^ 8 ° I l wUl w ork in a ° y manufacture , S , I ° r , bu 3 ln ?| ' and that Pe « ons so meeting for the purl TZ m OIW' ? u ? terin | J int 0 anT such agreement as fSBn a fe 8 haIln 1 b 6 llablet 0 an * P ^ ectttion , or penalty Sndinlr 7 8 tatu -teto the contrary notwith" J ha by t the 8 a . id act thirty-three previous acts of Parliam ?? L w , ? reby » nions of workmen , for the purposea afore said , had been prohibited , were repealed . That

      " , in consequence of the permission given to workmen to form peaceable unions for the purposes aforesaid , various societies , called « Trade Societies , " have heen formed , and very extensively supported by subscriptions of ^ ° B n n e K ? . Il ; ? r ?^ . mn ' haVin 2 » flmon * otner objects , the object of facilitating unions ot workmen for such purposes as aforesaid , whereof the societies wheteto your petitioners belong form a part . 'That many such societies exist in London" and its SUbttrbs , . « . $ . " r are widely sptJead orer tbe wbole country ; . 1 nat the rules of these societies extend to make provision tor many other objects of a benevolent nature , such as provision in case of sickness or old age , or casual want of work , or for the burial of its members , or for their . widows * or orphans , besides the objects aforesaid , and that the right of the members to participate in tbe benefits thus conferred depends on the continuance of their subscriptions .

      " That m consequence of a dispute which has recently arisen between certain of the members of a society of the n « t « re aforesaid , called « The Amalgamated Society of engineers , and certain manufacturers by whom they wero employed , a combination has been formed , including many of the larges t employers of working Engineers , and that-the employers so combined refuse to give employment to any workmen who will not sign a declaration to the effect that they are not , and will not become , members of a trade society . " That your petitioners are apprehensive that , should the example thus set be followed b y other employers ; tha liberty intended to be secured to tho working population by tho Act aforesaid will be seriously interfered with . - ¦ "That the results of such an attempt on behalf of the ' employers will m the opinion of your petitioners be

      detrimental to the interests of the working clause ^ and will ¦ ba calculated to give rise to a great amount of falsehood and ! hypocrisy , "That it will also subject many of the working classes to the loss of the benefits secured to them by the rules of the Societies to which they belong , and by destroying all confidence between man and man , lead to the greatest national calamity . " Your petitioners therefore hereb y pray your Honourable House to institute an inquiry into thecouduct of the employers by whom such declaration as aforesaid has been put forth , and to take such steps as you may deem advisable to secure to your petitioners , and the working classes of this kingdom in general , the free exercise of the right of union granted to them by the Act aforesaid . " And your petitioners will ever &c "

      pray , , Mr . Daddo ( Hatter ) seconded the motion for the adoption Oi the petition . Carried unanimously . On the motion of Messrs . Pettie and Newton , & vote of thanks was carried by acolamation to the Chairman ; who , in responding , noticed the edvent of the " Star of Freedom . The names o ! its future Editor and contributors were greeted with most enthusiastic applause . Themeetine then dissolved . &

      Untitled Article

      THE ENGINEERS' DISPUTE * The number of men who have resumed work on tfc < Employer * terma during the past week amounts to 452 This is an unusual increase . We hear that the inoreaai for the week in one establishment ' is eighty . At t 5 < Employers meeting on Wednesday . Messrs . John Elee anc Co . were expelled from the association for violating Hi 5 th rule , which requires the signing of the declaration Messrs . Elee and Co ., it appears , have had their worki Closed during the Strike for alteration and repairs '; ' ati ( they are now resuming work with hands who sign'&Vori drawn up by the firm , instead of that adonted" BV ' -ifc

      association . We understand that at a mee . tint ' 6 f ttii letter-press printers held at Hay ward ' s Hotel , " Bridge s'reet , on Monday evening , it was resolved to , adv ' anc i £ 200 to the Amal gamated Society . A volutta ry ; ft < Mfj subscription is also being entered intoanidngftiW'bfaW / fo be continued until the termination' of tbe'disBuW , " - Th < printers had previously advanced £ 100 ' "in ' afdWiCtio'inM . gamated fund . The oarpenters and joineri ' oif : M 3 hbb ' este i and Salford and the neighbourho ' od held a ^ rne etiig ' a ' t t& New Concert Inn , Oxford . road , 'on ; M 6 n ' 8 a y : eVeh 1 n *;' tL result heing , as we understand ; - a ^ detefiriinatjibri't ' o' ^ o ' o ' ni rigorous measures to suppbrMhe ' member ? 6 rlhB'AinaM mated Society in theif-determinatibn ! not't 6 " Mgn'tna ' <) ai claration . " --i / an ( togr Qwirdianl i'i >' ' vifJono .: Uu . n ' - ' ¦ i ¦ "" " ' ' " ¦ ' > > U ' . lm « , ' iTrli « ni

      Untitled Article

      The Departum'OATHS' Arctic StosJi ^ Th'ri ei p ^ d [ fio * t under the eommand of Captain Sir Edward BeloheF ' c ' on sisting of the AssJsteoo > - ( th » -QeH » m « dt ) re ;) the Resolute Captain Kellet ; the North Star ( store-ship ) . Commando ' Pullen > the'Intrepid ; Commander' 'M'Clintdcli '' ' aWthi Pioneer , 'L'eut . ; GOmmandef Shevara'Giflorn 'leVt ' S hithe on vWe dnesda ^ mbrhihg ^ afr nawWwWffi Arctic Regions ] - with , «^ fit m « iiddet ; erttfhea nMt q fc | home decisive intelligence ^ sbectirurtKh f ntH a'QM tatf l ^^^^^ SS ^ SMm reached Greenhithe . byine la 8 t train 'fflMWAiffl tM § mediately iBBued ' the ' necessary'btUeW'W the'WuMon't preparefor-proceediii fd ' ow ^ ^ fe * *^ ^ b » mtiWiW | f ^^ ^ iSKiftii 1 &l& '&JJi ; WiIW sigh of the'fi ' ve ' BhiWsli ppini'Trorri mMMkWM&

      M | y *^ V *™^«^ wintt >« W « tt ? w «^ by the . M «< - spectators th ^ t'ia'd 'ffiSemb ^ a ' to > rSe % ^ fi « departure ^"' ti ru > wt > wi' ) t vjitnion r . r . i > n < nl snrniJ . u ' . rnc i . N ^ - eHARK ^^' o ^ ti ^ V' ^ 'i ' TeV ^ ro 'teVfc Hoxton . lo ^ aliiy We Mmmhukmm %%$ M Coee ^ Wusef'PeathersfdHe ife / Jit ^^^^^ wiiM'Btehvtiwv&ibWffim wti ^ s esrf ***^^^ ™* poSse&ioUf ^

      ^^ h ^ jfmMmx u ^ m : STcmit omm in llttle mor 6 than V" ?

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      Untitled Article

      April 24 , 1852 . ' ' / ; .. V . ; "' . " . " . ' . . .. " / " . . " - ^ V . 'T ' T / . - " , -, " . ^ ,. " . \\ ... . .. , .. ' ' ., ' j ^^^^^^ M _^^_^^^^^^^^ i ^^ Mi SSSM ^ iii ^^ w * ' * ^^ ' * ^ >*^ M t ~ , ' - t . . - ' ^ ¦ ' - t * » r ~ - < .. t . ; . , " , . ¦ ' ' - ¦ ' 0 Mr 7 3 ^— ^ ' ^ '

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), April 24, 1852, page 5, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1675/page/5/