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Northern Star (1837-1852), 20th February 1841, Edition 2 of 5, Page 3, J^ WtTD,

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    • J^ WtTD,
    • i«sJ »# General gnttlXizence
    • THE NORTHEEN STxiK SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1841.
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      Untitled Article

      TO THE CHABTISTS . Oa , countrymen , on to tha fight , The struggle for freedom most de » , Bnr i down on the tyrants the blight , Of the beKta their oppression doth , seal . Tonret not the bonest and brave , Who in tyrant Whig * dun&eona are cast , And indignantly spurn the base slave , . Who irish stonier tlieir fair fame -would blast £ * not lured by the twachereos smile 01 i » s « traitors , ¦ who seek tat your fell ; lisej- 'U emp loy every bare , Whig-like guile , To divert yen from liberty ' s calL

      c ons of A lbion stand fina to yonr posts—~ Btspond to fair liberty ' s sigh ^ „ T > ai despite of the tyrant ' s red . bosta , Tour Charter you'll have , bar you'll die . ¦ C . Wssran

      Untitled Article

      THE RADICAL'S UTANT . Jror-i nobles that at court do sit , Iu rule our land as they see fit , Whoai muiv * beggar ^^^ outwit , , Good Lord deliver us . Jtchi independent gentry , -who CcEsame our frsin as locusts da , And rob the labourer of his dne . Good Lord deliver us . Trc-m iraonrs being conferred , all rpcn the rita , "both great and small , Itoogh vritli skulls thiei sa China's wall , Good Lord deiiTer u& Trom Church established by the law , Asi tithes enforced to glut the maw Of every idle strutting 4 a \ r ,

      Good Lord deliver ui From bishops and all procurations , > . j-nodals and confirmations , And efery euch Hie botheration , Good Lord deiiTer us . From foul hypocrisy snd cant , Aad selfish minds of virtue scant , And juggling if sihodistic rsnt , 'Good Lord deiiTer cs . From that cursed thing the >' ew Pixjt Act WMrij . Tories sanction , Whiga exact , Of " h ° ) Vh deeds the mos : compact , Good Lord deiiTer us . From , bailie * , beadles , with their crew Of hellish miscreants , "Whig and Bine , ¦ Whose greatest joy * s the poor to screw ,

      Good Lord deliver o * From ls-wvers , policemen , and spies , That deal in frstui , deceit , and lies , Whose deTilry the world ourries , Good Lord deiiTer us . From suffrages of brick , and mortar , Likewise elective bribe and barter , With all that ' s hostile to the Charter , Good Lord deiiTer us . AXE 3 JJXDEB HVISH nrr . Feb . 14 th , ISil .

      Untitled Article

      ENIGMA . Is ecliic towers and palaces I dwell , Is iti deep recesses of the hollow d cell , It gloomy caves where man ne'er dar'd £ s form to trust , my plaintive Toice is heard , ¦ V oces hollow rock * , I taie * iy airy flight , vy form sedated stiil from mcriai ' s sight , Bred sy the offspring of the Imcian mind , 1 a the world an instant p&ssags find , Ye : short the space of fee rnj life can boast , Sera in one mwneBt , in another lost , 1 , onee a nymph , * p » rted on uie plains , The pride and glory of the neighbouring swains , E 3 tross'd in love I left niy native glade , Uf farm consam'd , and dwindled to a shade . W . C

      Untitled Article

      ^^ T ? T . TgT . —SrDBK > - DEATH OP A -PirPEB csrn ;~ EEr 5 rsnc 3 ors CiscvvstaSCes . —An inquest wt- ht-d Before Mr . William Carrick , coroner , on Wsi-ds * , the 10 th infant , in Water-lane , on Tier of the body of John C&plin , aged twenty-one veu ? , -Viig tszA iX the Beg . The result of the engrrrWks , !© exonerate Mr . 2 s : ei > ol = on , surgeon to tlaUidoB , and Mr . Rmdedge , keeper of ihe poorboss , troa » aj blcae vsx the distressing transaction , throsa we nave little confidence in the evidence produced , wnki coaasted of tiat of reiieTanjj-ufScers , and ethos , isveres ^ d in paicMflg up the & 5 air , Wired oa ; faT i mimber of paupers themselves , -who

      were unceruis piafal necessity of stating what { fcrj were instnicad ; o do . The / ollowicg is the ecrfec : s ^ iemea ; cf Junes Capua , Lrotber to the osceised : —Joia Cip ! iii , my late brother lay sick vis —t for eiglii weefci , when ., cvring to my disfe « Kd c ^ ocmsances , I applied jo ibe parish for ke for " nlm . I recwred half a crown per week isiirspice of three weeks j bat , on thereHeriDgc £ y cdiing w > see him , he founi hiai standing bj aair ?; in consequence of this , iae allowance was » :: « , iiid ray trotker was ordered away to the Tcissse , wiiere he reajained ~ ix days ; but during ki- nne le wis set to break stcnes in an open yard , his s ? n douiea were stripped eff him , and he was

      dsrlri in ihs workhouse cLrc 53 . Frc-rn the severity d vb we « her , Ke was Terj ranch starred , and app&cfj ? sonifiof hb own clothes to put andcr tie Khe ^ bci this request was refusjd , and be waa eepelied to contince io fcreak stones , though in a fey por and aniealUiy siaie , and » he weather bs ^ Te rj KTere . He ihsii came back to me , and I s _; for Mr . Saeras , sar ^ eoa , wco examined him , Tia I asked " nisi far a iii-e u > ibe reiJering officer , fc ^ b ? said it wonld not be attended to ; he then a ~/* if that inan ( pointing to my brother ) dies , I Ji- i ; -j ] d Dr . IsichoLon rsspocsible for id 3 deaih . I voider iriai sor ; of 3 mi n 2 \ ichokon can be , to earihat m&n to work . '' 11 v brother died in a few

      up iiazKssds . Th-2 doctor then cams to me , and fciai as whi ; I iacended to do , as lbs disorder my KtJuziizd previous to iiis gcing to the workLoose , » e sot what ne died of , sud taa * . there ought to bs » srowx ' s inquest , la consequence of this , I «^ ed 5 ai iaqaeSk to be held . James Caplin . —This EKaeii ttaj contra . aicled m evidence ; more espe-G-7 thai psnion vrhich is attributed to Mr . w ^ a , Eiirgeo- ; and also the statement as to the XtJuta Capiiiihaviag been sent to breakstones ;

      ^" ¦ o r econcile this confljc ; iiig testimony we know fcs . We ? e we called on to give an opinion , it ^ T ^ . P-w ^ as much reliance on the statement ^ T-iT Caphua . as those of the relieving officers and j ^ w * paop ers , who dared no ; S 3 y a word , how-^• tm e a mighi 5 e , derogatory to the character of r * *^ ej are under . Uae thing is clear , that y *? ai jra 3 in a very cnSt state to be pat to work s u . » opa air , and which , if correct , would ?* v >; L ^ Eiaus of siey . ly accelfra'Jng his

      ^^ - _ » e prouid castio . n tnose en ; ru = ted with the ' -ja ine iafirm and poor , to be cartful how they « Icua , lesi vhey niay be chargeable in the eyes ? j ~ Jaime , wiiii practlsiu ^ a hir = iin . eso towards ^ i "Taieb the Jaw itself wiii But justifj , much S ,. i ? IJy lolera ^ . There is one circumstance , ata " » - had aicsag * for ^ oi to mention , and that is , t ^ T' ^ •^ * ^^ ci ^^^ a , or soaie of the party , i "p ^ ^ pampers , who gave evidence , with spirits ; GtaEsijrj ^ ^ ^ jj ^ . ^ y . pi = 0 II 3 charac-S _ - ^ it U ctr ; ainiy not a common practice with f * rs in woriioosej , &o to act towards a parcel

      ± v * 3 Exi ± —V ? e happened to call in here the j ^ f ^ j to see what the m&gis ' -rates were engaged t > X < T il € Ii * complaint was aade against a rej Tpweiimkeeper , in coiueq ^ ence of : ie imperfect J ? ^ 3 siiole , for the accommodaiion of the ^ J ? ^ o iorsa soldiers , who had been billeted vt 2 na . A Captain Somebody eaid the stalla tSj , 106 S ? . ^ * ni that pigs were kept near the * s ± " nf ^^ I * urgec , that the imperfec ; g * « tsie stable nad been caused by a wicked ^ r Be longing to the s&me tro « p . Hera a long jg-wj coaTer * ation took place Detwerin the makt ^ an d th Captain , as to the right of repair-I ^ J ^ JQnr which had been done by the wicked W ^ * ae niagiij trates contending , tnat the inn-^ ^ o uld aaTe his stable repaired ; but the ^ r * in'Did them tter « was no law for any su ch ^ s-iinzli y , the innkeeper agreed to maie the £ ?** 7 repairi ; but eTen this would not do , as W ^? aad ^ sect t 0 freiil facets ; so that the j- ^ p& mas * Dav lh « snm nf tn-pnrrrfiff ) it cViil . ¦ A V ¦¦ Jh ¦ t fc * J »« Jast

      ^ T-y ^ * - ^ r m —^— m **^* ma ^ ***** J ' - W " *»» * * ettiZ > 0 I * e monvh , and his own stable standing unhf /^ y ^^ S twelre months there fcrs !> v lii ?? froia ^^ 7 to fort y w ™' ^ f cd i ^ kmd ' ^^ k alway s be « n listened ]< q ... fussed bj t iie magiitratei , to the Eerious *» : " ^^^ fi ^ ce of the p nblicans . GoTern-»» 83 vpj V ? i ( i appoint inspectors to sea in what ^ . - -ce poor aand-i&oia weavers and their % x tiT Qoaici 1 ed and fei wua a xiew to see cb ^ yj . K *** W < -H housed , weii fad , and well tsi is ' We Pi « ige oarselres they are far better fctewrf ^ J «« s of ter 31 sj » ty , than a W * - ^ J soldie rs , whose horses are aa fat and jg ^ WSHABL-BErtKB Laietkajj Neteb . !* 4 iesrf a ^ > and £ eems » i * 6 verified in . the ^ a ^ r . cAarito ife gentry of this town , who w . f «« ag m the Towt : Hall , this week , for the l « sK * 1 l lndeaeil { seasoa - TiusisweU ; * sri « Srr . ^ It ^ aa beuer had they done so iwo

      * 2 ir ; . un * fa ^ ^ eady l > een raised , which iii ajL . rf'T ? a ; ths d ^ sal Church clergymen **» e W ^ f i 88781 * Veraons were willing lo sub-^ C 55 ? ° ^ oat ii vras [ aiiow . d .

      Untitled Article

      liEEDS , —Extkssitf Robbeey . —OnTuesday last , » female named Susannah Scott , was placed before Messrs . Stansfeld and Hebden , sitting magistrates , at the Court-House , charged with haTing stolen £ M in BiWer , from the house of Mr . John Ayrey , the Old George Inn , Briggate . Mr . Ayrey stated , that oh Saturday last , about noon , Mr . Matthew Smith , manufacturer , of Morlej , gave him a brown paper parceV , containing the sum named , to take care of , while be was ready to go home ; he was in the habit of doing bo weekly , and Mrs . Ayrey made a practice of locking the change up in a private drawer in the nursery—ft room to which the family only had access . On Saturday , howerer ^ Mrs . A . at the time the money was brought , was giTine the breast

      to an infant m the kitchen , and Mr . Ayrey laid it in an open drawer at the side of her , telling her to be sure to lock it up before the did snrtbiDgelse ; there were at that time onl y the servants and Mrs . Worth , of Koihwtll , in the kitchen , besides Mrs . Ayrey . The latter , on some account was suddenly called into the bar , where she stayed only & short time , when she recollected the money , and proceeded to the kitthen for it , when to her surprise she found it was gone . Enquiry was instantly instituted , and a rijrid examination made ; but without , at that time , producing any effect On Monday morning , handbills were issned , offering a reward of five pounds for any information likely to lead to a discovery of the property , and the conviction of the thief .

      During the afternoon of 3 Ionday , a servant girl from a beerhouse in Swinegate , kept by Mrs . Booth , went to the George Inn , to inquire for Scott , Baying that Mrs . Booth wished to see her particularly . Mr . ATrey , having his suspicions excited , went 0 Y 6 T to Mrs . Booth's , * nd there learat that his ser ? aut had , on Saturday , taken & brown paper parcel , containing money , io Mrs . Booth ' s , and which she said was ihe amount of a legacy left to her by her annt , which she had just received ; this parcel the girl fetched away on Saturday night , and Mr . Ayrey then discovered that she bad taken it to Mrs . Trolly ' s , in Ebenezer-street , to which place , accompanied by * Scott , he went , having previously

      sentfof an officer , ' who followed them into Ebenezerstreet , where the girl was taken into custody . Mrs-Trolly then produced a rosewood work-box , which she said had . been left with her by Scott , and which contained silver to the amount of £ 47 , and Mrs . Trolly said the girl had given her £ 2 8 s . in loose change to lay ont for her . Thus was ail the property , with the exception of a few shillings , recovered ; and the parcels ( containing £ 5 each , in which the money was wrapped ) being spoken to by Mr . Smith , as thoee which he left with Mr . Ayrey on Saturday , and the other parts of the evid « nce beini ; detailed to the magistrates , the prisoner was committed to take her trial for the offence at the next borough sessions .

      Fire axd Loss of Life , —On Saturday morning last , abont six o ' clock , * fire which might have been attended with the most serious results , broke out in the dryJDg-room , at the flax -spinning mill , occupied by Mr . Wm . Hill , at the corner of Lady-lane and ilili Garth-street , in the rear of the extensive premises of Messri . Jackson , tobacco-manufacturers , to whom . the property belongs . It appears that an old and respected servant , named John Sharp , had the care of the drying-room , the floor of which is composed of iron grating to admit the heat , and it is entered from the bofler-honse by means of a trap door , fastened down by a padlock ,. and the snpposion is that Sharp , on £ oing to unlock it , had his lamp in his hind , the flame from which came in

      contact , by soma means , with the yarn by which the grated floor was covered , and by which the entire raoni was soou in a blaze . Sharp " gave an instant alarm , and proceeded with the engine-man into the room , to endeavour to extinguish ihe flames ; in this , however , th « y were unsuccessful , a ^ id t he engineer , s * eing the d 3 ugerthey were in , got through the trap door and caUed npoa Sharp to follow him . This the poor fellow wo ? unable to do , in eonsequencs of ihe tire gaining upon him , and having already commanicatsd to his clo ' . hcs ; but a bucket of water being thrown through the grating , so far cleared the fire as : o enable him to sw nis way out , and be feil

      down the trap door , dr-. adfully burnt . He was removed to the luSrmary , vrnere he died the same night . Some engines were soon autr upon the spot , ai ; d the Ere was go ; entirely under before , sr-veu o ' clock , having done damage to the amoun ; of £ lul ) , me whole of which is covered by insurance . On Monday morning , an inquest was heid up ^ n th * remains of Sharp , before Mr . Blackburn , the coronor , when , after hearing the circumstances detailed , the Jury returned a verdic ; of " Accidental death . " Sharp was sixty years of age , a widower , and has ieftseven children , East of wnom are grown cp ; he was highly respecied .

      GLASGOW . —The prosecution of the shopocrats of Glasgow , and in suburban districts , is still going on with " unabated vigour before the Justice of Peace Court . Since my last communication , those persons appointed to examine she beams , scale ? , and 5 VeijrIlt 3 haveTkiied Tollero = s , Parkbead , Camiauchie , Drygate , Toll Green , and Blue Vaie , and have had a goodly number of the honest tea-far : hiag , rigidlyrighteous , asd ten-pound-wise shopkeepers of these villages fLed for cheating and robbing " the ignorant swinish multitude out of their hard-won earnings , with ligh ; weights . In these dis : rict 3 the crime is , if possible , oi' a sfiil deeper dye , the population is composed principally of hmi-loom weavers , whose average traces do no : amount to more than four or five shillings per week . I ha ? e made a calculation of the fines of about 150 , v ^ kea at Tandom , and I find the amount to be £ 197 Us . ; besides , a number

      of these have been amerced in expence . < Who now will have the audacity to doubt that Johnny Finality , the champion general of the Church by law established , tha throne , and the aristocracy , has not shewn his great wisdom in thus selecting the shopkeepers a 3 his electoral standard of intelligence and honesty , in hi ? humbug Reform Bill ! There is only one law for the rich and the poor , it is said . What arrant nonsense , when we see the contrary every day ! A poor girl , working in a steaai-loom factory , was Bent to Brideyrell for sixty days , and her name made public , for purloining about a yard of calico cloth cut of the factory ; while these middle-claa ? men , who have plundered the public of thousands of ponndsj get off with a paltry fine , which they can easily afford to pay oat cf the plunder , and sacrifice nose of their luxuries all the while . —Correspondent * ;

      WAKEF 1 ELJ > . —At the Wakefield Debating Society , on the loth instant , at the Temperance Hotel , Westgate , an excellent paper was read by Mr . D . Swallow , on Co-operation ; after which a debate took place , which was conducted in the best of spirit for and asaicst . At the conclusion , it was auuuonced that there was & Co-operative Society just formed in WakeSeld , which held its meetings every week , at , the house of Mr . Wm . Swallow , Kirkgate , for the purpose of transacting the business of the society , and enrolling new members . It was also announced that there will be a tea meeting on Shrove Tuesday : after which several of the members will address the meeting .

      XiQxTSON . —Sr : oAr Meetisgs of the Working Classes . —A lar ^ c meeting of the above chs 8 was held last Sunday evening , at the Working Man ' s ChapeJ , Dock Head , Bermondsey ; when , aftsr a comfortable tea , two hard-working men addressed the meeting on tha difference beevr ^ en true Christianity and the Chrisuanity of the present day ; and also an inquiry into what was truth , and Ehowed , in 3 v ^ ry forcible manner , that the people , instead of paying tha priest some two or three hundred-pound ; a year for thinking and praying for them , musi , in order to arrive at truth , do the work ihemselTes , by employing the facahies Go < i has given them . The meeting was highly delighted ; and we hope , that , although the priest 3 and the religious bigots are np in arms at this attempt to enlighten me people , it is only the commencement of a great movement in this wicked , priestridden Babe ! . —Correspondent .

      Untitled Article

      Ladies Repelling Bceglabs . —The Misses Cox , of Newton , two maiden ladies , who live on their property , and farm in a small way , displayed great courage in repelling some burglars . They were awo&e by the riliains presenting themselves at their room door , one of whom levelled a pistol at the sister who was in bed next the door ; the object of his attack fainted away . The other sister , alarmed at the Boise , rushed oat of bed , and su-nck the man who had the pistol , which she knocked out of bis hand . A struggle ensued , and the lady actually

      succeeded in " thrusting the fellow out of the room She , however , nliima : ely became exhausted , and wa 3 forced back into the room , being so dreadfully beaten with the pistol on ttw arms , shoulder , and face , as to be incapable of further resistance . The noise of tha struggle awoke the servants , one of whom escaped down stairs , and succeeded in reaching a cotvagu immediately adjacecl . Miss Cox wzs on the point of giving up her purse , containing a considerable amount in geld , as the condition on which their lives should be spared , when Toices were heard outside . The burglars then made off .

      Distress amo- \ gths Ribald Wbatebs o ? Cbvestby . —There are , it is supposed , in Coventry alone , between 40 , 090 and 50 , 080 inhabitants at this time , of whom upwards of 20 , 000 are journeymen riband weavers . Sinoe the protecting duty has been taken off the imported manufactures , French ribands have inundated the market , which by some means or other not only compete with , but entirely take the lead from , the English factors in the home market . When in full work , it is compnted that the poor weavers do not earn more than" 7 s . or 8 s . per week at the very extreme , and many of them have wiTes and lar ^ e families . Go which way you will , distress stares yon hard in the face , and the poor wretches all around are literally sJsrving to death I A man a day or two since died of starvation m CoDaberniereclose , leaving a wife who was enceinte , and a large family too . Last week the ont-relieJfo ? tbe poor of the parish of Coventry alone vu besiowftd upon about l , C 0 t ) poor families . " .

      Untitled Article

      Hawwkix Lwatic Astluk . —Mr . Ewart has entered a notice on the Common * ' t >« oke , thfpk oa Thursday , the 25 th instant" , he will ' mdTe life api pointmeht of a Select Committee "to inqunjpfato the general management and medical treatm « p pursued in the Pauper Lunatio Asylum at Hanwell , Middlesex ; and to report thereon / ' — A most useful inquiry , and one that , if well pursued , cannot fail to elicit much T&luable information . An Um > bniablb Fact . —A fellow was brought np to Marlborough-street Police-office on Saturday

      charged with stealing handkerchiefs from a shop in Burlington Arcade . On being- charged with the theft , the prisoner had run out of the shop , but was captured . He denied that he had taken the missing handkerchief . Mr . Dyer asked why he ran ont of the shop . The prisoner replied that he was Tery suddenly " taken queer , " and he bad been obliged to run for H to save his reputation . This part of the prisoner ' s story wu corroborated by a " fact " little thought of , which ever j body who had a nose in Court was fully competent to bear witness to . The prisoner was remanded till Wednesday .

      Catholic Assistance to a Protestant Clergyman . —A letter from the county of SHgo gives an account of a fire at the residence of Dean Hoare , which , but for the untiring exertions of the Roman Catholic parishioners , during an entire night , would have totally destroyed the house , out office ? , and the corn and hay in the haggard . Nothing could exceed the z- ^ al of the peasantry on this occasion . If it be said that the Dean of Achonry owes his popularity to his Liberal political principles , then we say that inasmuch as it cannot he denied by his most virulent opponents than Dean Hoare is as good a Protestant , religiously speaking , and as actire and diligent in the performance of his duties , as any of his clerical brethren , this affords an evidence that if the Protestant clergy be not universally beloved by their Catholic parishioners , it ia owing not to their religious i ? al , bat to thftir violent political animosity towards the Roman Catholics .

      Untitled Article

      THE CHARTER SUFFRAGE versus THE PARLIAMENTARY H-O-U-S-E .

      " Will you be kind enough to point out the difference bet » etn my definition of Household Suffrage and the Suffrage of the Charter ?"— Joh . n Colliks . ' We wilL *—ED . N . 3 . As the advocacy of our principles is an undertaking from which we have never yet shruuk ; and as we have fearlessly thrown down the gauntlet in defence of tho principle of Universal Suffrage , as laid down in the People's Charter , against every other description of franchise , we no \ r proceed to point ont the striking difference between Universal Suffrage and any definition which can be given of Household Suffrage . However imperceptible the distinction may apptar to some , the difference is as great as between a chesnut horse and a horse chesuut .

      There is no mention of , or hint at , Household Suffrage , with any qualification of residence , from tha beginning to the end of tha Charter . The word " Household" is only ODce mentioned ; and , in that one instance , it clearly , specifically , and unambiguously points out the distinction intended to be made benveen an elector and 3 householder . Nay , it assigns to them separate functions as regards the question of franchise ; but we will huut up to it from t-he very preamble . The document is entitled : —

      "The People's Charter , being the outline of an Act U > provide for the jusi representation oi th © people of Great Britain und Ireland , in the Commons House of Pai-liajiunt : embracing the PRINCIPLES of "Universal Suffrage , " and so forth . After setting forth the objects of the Charter , it proceeds thus with its enacting provisions : — "Be it therefore enacted , that from and after the passing of this Act , every male inhabitant of these realms b * entitled to vote for the election of M < -mb ? rs of Parliament , Butject , however , to the following conditions : —

      " 1 . That be be a native of these realms , or a foreigner who has lived in this country upwards of two years , and be « n naturalised . 2 . That he be twenty-one years of age . " 3 . That he be not proved insane when the lists of voters are re vised . " 4 . That he be not convicted of felony within six months from and after the passing of tbis Act " 5 . That his elestoral righta b « not suspended for bribery at elections , or for personation , or fur forgery of election certificates , according to the penalties cf ihis Act . "

      Now , such are the provisions of the Charter , as far as the principle of the Suffra £ e is involved , and we incline to think that nothing caa be mora plain or more simple . The Sr * t mention which we find of a ' house" is in the 2 nd clause , deSnin

      " Mr . John Jones , —You are hereby required , within six days of the date hereof , to fill up this list With the names of all male inhabitant * of jour house of twenty-one years Of age and upwards ; stating their rfrsp-ctive ages and the time they have resided with you , or , in neglect thereof to forfeit the sum of £ s . " Here is a duty imposed upon householders , or persons in charge cf dwellin ^ -houaes , with which the voters have nothing whatever to do . The next mention which ue find of the word " house , " and the role mention of tho word " householder , " with the exception of its use in connexion with the laying of a tax for defraying the ospeuce of elections , is in the first clause for the- arrangement for registration , and runs thus : —

      " Be it enacted that cvtry householder , as well as every person occupying or having charge of a dweilinghouse , who shall receive a notice i ' roni the registration cltrk , as aforesaid , fchall « as 9 the said notice to be Hiietl np with the nauits , ages , and time of residence , of every male iahabiuut in his or her bouse , of twentyone yetirs oi age and upwarc »"—and so forth . Now , from this clause , which appears to have been wisely , jealously , and unambiguously drawn up , after mature consideration , for the distinct and sole purpose of drawing the hue of demarcation between the principle of Universal Suffrage , and aiiy definition which could be given to the franchise in connection with a " house" in any shape , we learn the the object of its framers .

      Theframers , to contradistinguish man ' s inalienable right from a fictitious and limited substitute , dearly , forcibly , and beautifully point out the difference between animate and inanimata franchise , making the inanimate the mere " locus in quo" and assigning distinct duties to occupants in furtherance of the rights of man . Hence , to provide against evasion , monopoly , or equivocation , we find the several modes of tenure simplified , by setting forth tho different sorts of possession of a house . We find the terms " householder , " " occupying , or having charge of a dwelling-house , " used as regards the

      person who is to make the return ; while the age , sex , and time of residence of tba voter i 3 the tiling to be specified . Nay , more , to prove still further , we find that the ovrner may be disfranchised or not entitled to the franchise ; while overy room may be occupied by a number of qualified electors : hence does the house become the mere post-office , or place of delivery of the several notice papers , without any reference whatever to its being held , occupied , or kept in charge , as regards tho qualification of the person holding , occupying , or having the chanre .

      We prove onr position thus : the Charter does not qualify women ; while it directs that a notice paper shall be left at his or heb house . The next striking difference between any property in , or possession of , a nouse , as contradistinguished from the Charter-franchise , will be found in the following clause of penalties : — " That any person who shall be convicted , as afoie > said , of wilfully neglecting to fill up his or her notice paper within the proper time , or of UaTingout the name of any innate in his or her notice paper , shall , for the first offence , Incur the penalty of five pounds , and for the second three months' imprisonment "

      Now , here again we Sad a duty imposed upon those always on the &got , and connected with the property ; in fact , a kind of trust , for the protection of the voter ,. All through , is this nice distinction kept full in view .

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      We h » Te novr , with one single exception , to which we jJ&aB ' pfSsenlly refer , M fortn not only the implied , bat the well-defined distinction pointed out in the Charter , between property of any description and the ri ^ bt of the voter . We proceed , then , to argue the principle of the Charter more at large . We have always declared for the principle , the whole principle , and nothing ehort of the principle ; in fact , for the spirit and essence of the Charter ; setting forth Universal Suffrage as the axis , the pivot , upon which the several other questions turned . Our friends will award us tho justice to

      say that we have moBt scrupulously avoided entering into feny minute detail as to the benefits which the measure would confer upon the community at large . We have , it is true , shown , how it would uproot vice , and plant virtue in its stead ; wo have pointed out the anomalies and injustice of several departments , and shown what its effect upon , these departments would be ; but we have not attempted to define any set code of laws which the new state of society would require : upon the contrary , we have ever held and argued that such an nudertaking would bo presumptuous ; in fact , an individual

      dictation to universal opinion . We h&ve , over and over affsin , told onr readers that nothing more tended to arm our opponents with arguments and plausible opposition , than the wild chimeras whioh undigested opinion may parade as the anticipated fruits of the Charter . Whil , e the wisest predictions , with respect to its probable working , are wholly passed over and left unnoticed by the press and its opponents , the most incoherent anticipations of the most rambling brain are anxiously 6 eized upon as ground of opposition . Our motto has ever been , " arm the people with their rights , and we are ready to obey the laws which shall result . "

      We take the Charter , in its present state , as the mere declaration of a principle ; and in such form we have no right to expect to find it more perfect than the Aots of our wise and paid rulers in a similar stage . If a Minister—a paid Ministermoves for leave to bring in a Bill , upon a subject affecting the interests of the empire at large , no more is expected from him upon the first , or even the second reading , than a mere outline of its principle . Tho principle bting agroed upon , it goes , after two readings , into a Committee of the whole

      House , with a view to-its legal arrangement ; and even in the hands of those of whose fitness the people are " reasonably deemed" incompetent to judge , wo find , in nine , cases out of ten , that the whole principle , the one thing agreed upon , has becu omitted , and a new principle introduced and legislated upon . Of this we cannot givo a more perfect or happy illustration than the omission in the Reform Bill of tho grand principle , —the only principle for which tho majority couteuded , and which the country carried , —namely , " that taxation and representation should bo co-extousive . "

      We , take then , the Charter , in its present state , as declaratory of a principle , and " sufficiently explicit for a first reading . Are wo asked if ( lie dciail ? , ' as they at present stand , are perfect , or anything like it ? Wo at , once and unhesitatingly admit , tii ; u they are not ; that we could poiut tut , and so could tho caeu who framed it , numerous , serious , and palpable errorB , which , tiuder revision , would be corrected . No human le ^ islatioji can be perfect ; but wo look to time , and the good wc-rking of the great principle which it advocates , a 3 the means of making institutions under ita provisions as wist " , as

      wholesome , as just , and as applicable to existing society > as any measure can be expected to produce . Nay , we even admit , in the outset , that the Charter , in its details , has committed the very blunder of which we comp . ain in the Reform Bill ; namely , that it not only does not make representation and taxation co-extensive , but it actually leaves the coustuuent body wholly untaxed , —untaxed for a boon of which they are the especial gainers , —and throws the whole weight of the only tax it mentions , either upon a very small minority of tho electors , or upon those who are deprived of the franchise altogether . Here , shon , to prove oar assertion , we refer to the other instance in which "householders" is mentioned

      in the Charter , as if the very mention of the thing , in any shape , was designed to damn it . Tho 17 th clause , under the head " arrangem onts for elections , ' runs thus : — " That all the expencs of registration , nomination , and election , as aforesaid , toguther with the salaries of the returning officer , deputy returning officer , registration clerk , tssi ? tant » . Cdns ^ ables , and such other

      persons as may ba neei-ssary ; aa well an the expence of all balloting , baliot-b . / Xes , hustings and other necessaries for tho purpose of Una Act , bo paid out of uu equable district rate , which a district board , composed of one paroi-hial oinour , chosen by each of the parishes In the district , or for any two or more parishes if united for the purposes of this Act , « re hereby < 'inpovrpred and commanded to levy on all householders within the district . "

      >< ow , suppose a rural pirish to contain twenty thousand acres of laud , with two hundred houses > and the land principally in parks and grazing grounds , there wo have the householders liable to distress for tha whole expences of the election . But let us suppose a case where the householder may be disfranchised , and yet have to pay . This would occur in all cases where houses wero hold by , in occupation of , or in charge of , women . This sufficiently illustrates the injustice . A nice

      disputant may handle it thus : " hy , you give a landlord a vote out of his owh house ; whilo you exempt him from payment of any portion of tho tax and lay the tax . upon one who has no vote . " This instance would occur ia cases which very often happen , namely , where elderly men decline business and Jet the establishment to a thrifty woman , with whom tho landlord becomes a lodger , and , consequently , a voter ; hero the landlord would be a voter and yet exempt from tax incurred by tho election , while tha tenant would bo disfranchised and liable

      to the tax . Well , but observe tho blunders of our superiors . Tho collective wisdom actually passed a Bill for the establishment of a police force in Dublin , which received the Royal assent ; and in its local arrangement for operation , what obstacle does the reader 3 upposo presented itself to its good working ? Why only the small omission of not making any provision for the payment of the force , which is not a usual , error with our rulers ; but , in consequonco of this omission , unhappy Dublin was , for a year , deprived ot the blessings of the " boon . "

      Now , the Charter Committee have , at all events , thought of the needful , however inconsiderately they have resolved upon levying it . But does any saim man ( and the Charter only provides for tho enfranchisement of such ) suppose that Buchau error would be even left for a committee of the whole House to correct ? No , it would strike nine out of every ten working men upon its being ro-read . '

      Now , let us see how the Reform Bill played tho taxation "thimble rig . " It acknowledged as ita principle , that "taxation and representation should bo co-extenBive "—in fact , Siamese twins . Well , how do they play the juggle out ? Why , thus : — They say " so they are co-extensive ; property is represented , and property only is taxed . " Trus , true , very true ; but who pay 3 the taxi the owner of the property , or the man whose labour brings it from darkness to light —from unproductive lumber to manufactured use t The labourer not only pays the direct tax indireotly , but

      he also pays the enormous profit of two , three , four , and five hundred per cent , which the direct tax-payer iudirectly screws from the labourer and coasuowr . Who pays the increase of ten j > or cent , laid upon the taxes by Mr . Bi . RiHG . 1 The labourei pays that amount to Government , and four times as much to tho masters , or shopkeepers , as their tax and profit upon their liability- We must maka this very plain ; wo will therefore analyf , e it in its double bearing . Firstly , —If an iviCTease tax of £ 200 per annum is pu ' , directly upon a master who employs 50 O men * he will bql stop to inquire what is the * -

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      exact amount which , in such case , deducted from the wages of each man , would balance tee loss , but he makes a sweeping reduction to cover lowea ; and , in order to expose to th © labouring classes the abominations of the system , the 500 men would consider themselves honourablj dealt with if the master said , "I must take a penny a day , or sixpence a week , off each man's wages to meet this new imposition . " Well , what would be the result ? That he , by such redaction , would fob £ 650 & year , to pay a # 200 pound tax ; and , as it is ' much more likely that he would reduce a shilling a week than sixpence , he would make a profit of £ 1 , 200 , in aTeduction on labour , upon the £ 200 tax ; and if he employed a thousand labourers he would make a profit of £ 2 , 500 .

      We state this thus minutely for two . reasons : firstly—To prove that masters are gainers by taxes $ 0 long as they represent themselves , and caa screw them out of labour ; and secondly—To show the working men the items of which their grievances are made up . In like manner , if a shopkeeper has to pay ten per cent increase upon his taxes , he makes his profit , uo matter -what he deals in , by a rise in his prices . If the Government were to lay a duty of fourpence por pound upon soap , tomorrow , the man who uses it would pay sevenpence ; and this is tho thing to abolish which some of our friends are foolish euoueta to believe those very parties would join the Chartists . Fudge !

      Now we come to closer quarters with our Bubject The people joined the House of Commons' leaders for the Reform Bill , upon the principle which we have defined . The long denunciation of abuse very naturally inspired the non-elective portion of the community with confidence in their old leaders—the implacable enemies of Tory abuse . The new system was to simplify all that was complex . Well , the leaders and people joined were irresistible : they , carried that same principle ; but when agitation ceased , and active legislative

      power was placed in the hands of those who wero paACTicALLy to work out the principle agreed upoa , what was the result ! Juat this : that confidence lulled suspioion , and popnlar ignoranco and indifference allowod tho leaders to frame a measure as different from that forwliich the people &tvnggltd as light from darkness , and then the leaders turned round and eaid , "O ! that ' s the thing tee always meant ; and the thing we thought you meant . It is property that is now taxed and not you ; and therefore we have worked out the grand principle . "

      We mention this forcibly to shew the absolute necessity of any measure which shall bs ht reafter framed to regulate the suffrage beiug so thorougi . ly agreed upon between those who carry it outside aud t ' aose who mould it into law inside , as to admit of no mistake . Let any man take a review of a measure which was to timpjify ti . o law as regards representation , and he will very soca . find that a great portion of the Government ' s strength consists in taugling the skein and luystifyit .-g mystification . Look at Fifty Pound Tenants ac-Will ;

      Twenty Pound Non-resident Leaseholders ; Ten Pound Beneficial Iuterost ; Fifty Pouud Frceholo ; Freemen with their several qualifications ; Forty Shilling Freeholder : ); Parsons , and their respective Tithes ; Trustees of Property ; Ten Pound [ louseholders , with the notices of application , payment of rates and taxes , desc / ipuim of premises , and so forth ; aud now fifteen new Judges for hfe to make mystery mora mysterious ; and , we ask , is that tho Reform Bill , the simple Bill for which the people contended !

      Let our readers always bear this striking fact in view—that whatever House of Commons may be called upon to pass the Charter into law , will do it against their will , and upon popular coercion ; but , nevertheless , thsy will W the body who will havo to do it : and the Charter being the next change which we hope to see effected , let us ask what favour its principles is likoly to receive from the National Petition groaners ? ! For this reason , then , it is onr duty to sharpen public zeal for the furtherance of

      the measure ; to instruct our readers how to insure the application of proper details for moulding the measure into tho very thing they have asked for , and no other , into law ; to create a becoming suspicion and a laudable jealousy , lost a second mUcarriai ( 0 take place through any misunderstanding betwaen tho people and those who shall apply details to the principle ; and , above all , to close every back door , or pas ? ag 3 , by which an escape may bo made from the principle of tho measure .

      No man , in his senses , supposes that the passing of tho Charter , as we advocate it , would bs pleasing work for any ono single member of tho present Hou 3 o of Commons . If this bo admitted , then upon what rests ih <; peopled BireHgth of hope for tho fnll accomplishment-of the Ctiarter ? Why , doubtless , upon a conviction in the mind of members that the people fully understand what they ask for , and are fully resolved upon having nothing else .

      If wo wero doaired to pick from the operative class , six hundred and fifty-eight men , of tweatyone years ago , as ignorant as our six hundred and fifty-eight representatives , we should find the thing impossible . Tho members of the House of Commons know no more about the cause of the present general distress , or of popular organization , than the child unborn . Indeed , how should they ? They read hi one book , and tho peoplo in another . They fence themselves behind the Church , the army , the navy , tho throno , prerogative , law of nations , constitutional power of parliament , and so forth , according

      to their notions of the several influences of those branches ; whilo tho poople look upon all those as so many excrescences produced by classlegieiation . They never dream that the present distress and disconteat ari ^ -o out of the failure of tho Reform Bill . They never give themselves time to think that that measure , in its progression , has gone on multiplying the plunderers , while it has diminished the means of tho plundered : in fact , that it has , by a transfer of power to new bauds , and under new circumstances , increasod tho number of gamblers , while it haa diminished the stakes to bo played for .

      Formerly , our Parliaments , as trustees of the publia funds and purveyors for pablio service , had the first pull at tho purso ; and the masters had the second pull out of tho residue , tho labourers having a pull oat of the land , in tha Rrs ! instate , if inadij idlers by speculation . Bat , by tho Hvform BiiJ , the power was thrown into tho hands of the owners of property made by labour ; and tho masters , in their covetousnes- ' , are pulling , aud pulling , and pulliag ho hard , and tho House of Commons is so completely at their mercy , that , in a short time , our ruler 3 will find that they must bo content with a second pull , and that very little will be left them after tho gamblers are satisfied .

      Fourteen days now creates a greater revolution in the money market thau fourteen years formerly . The raw material ia now purchased at Liverpool on fourteen days' credit ; and as speculation increases credit will multiply , bat confidence will become diminished , which must clsa be paid for by increased discount , commission , and inconvenience . On all this the masters , as long as the things' holds , will have a profit , which labour will have to pay ; and , then , labour will also have to pay for Rural Police , and all the means of coercion for upholding thi 3 unnatural and artificial state of things .

      Having said so much upon tho necessity of a perfect understanding between these who are to ask and those who are to give , and upon the abuses which arc to be corrected , we again ask if tho gamblers are going to allow the stakes to be- whipt up all at onco by Universal Suffrage i If the reverse of this is conceded to us , wo then ask if they are likoly to join in tho enforcement of any description of franchise , call it by what namo it may , which will produce s » ea a result .

      The demaadfpr Hos&jehold Suffrage is made by two classes * each ha « ag » totally distinct object in view . The wealiisjj advocates use Has a means to

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      smotber Universal Suffrage , when it shall hava attained Boch a height as to arrest public attention . The more dependant " classes use -il- ; selfishly , forth * purpose of enfranchising themselves , and thereby enabling them to obtain , as we before stated , a license to play chicken hazard , while the great gamblers play for high stakes at the great Hell ; and the result would bo , a further augmentation of play ers and a further diminution ot the stakes played for . The players at chicken hazard would take care that their means should no longer famish funds for those above them ; and they would lustily claim the privilege of plundering those below , them , or the unenfran chised classes ' , ¦' ¦ v- : .

      And now for the direct answer to Cohjns ' s shori question . ¦ ¦ _• ¦' ;[ ¦ - ;/ ;• . , ' . - ... - '; - .. He , says— Will ybo be kind enough to point ont the difference between' my definition of Household Suffrage , and the Suffrage of the Charter * " We will . There is just this difference : —That there is " no mention of Household Suffrage , or House Suffragp of any kind , in the Charter . The differeaoe between Household Suffrage and Universal Suffrage , qualified by residence in a' house , is as great as the

      difference between Iandl 6 rd and tenant ; as great as the difference between fund-holder and fundpayer ; as great as ; the difference between a Protestant parson and his Catholic fleeced flock } in fact , as great as great caa be , and for this one simple reason , if we had no other—that , by any definition , which art could put on the term " Household" Suffrage , not more than one person couid vote out of a house , be it never so large ; while fifty may vote out of one house , according to the terms oC residence contained in the Charter .

      . Landholder means one person who has some title to , or possession of , land ; fundholder means one person who has property in the funds ; and householder means some one person who holds a house is his or her actual possession . Possession is not necessary to constitute a landholder ; possession ia necessary to constitute a householder , and therefore , is it even more . limited , in 1 « gal , sign ficatioa , than the term landholder J So much for thelegal definition : and now as to the consequences ofagitating under a defined term , intended to be more comprehensive than its legal or received acueptauou would admit of .

      If the word " Householder" is most innocently used as a means of catching the timid or courting the doubtful , * it will be most viciously applied by those who are to frame the law , after public opinion has decided upon the principle . We have already shown how misplaced confidence and want of jealous watching , destroyed the identity betwe-jn the People ' s Bill and their Leaders' Bill . We havo shown how myslery was more myttified , when all thought they were agreed upon tho principle . And if tomorrow , there was a measure about to bo legislated upon , based upon popular demand

      for any definition of Household Suffrage ; or , if the very name was Dientioned ,-the people would have no just cause of complaint if they received a Bill , based upon the legal , the common , rhe only acceptation of the term , namely , a right to a vcta v * .-stcd in every householder , which means one person who holds a house from another , or occupies one of his own . The term would not even extend the right to occupants , or persona in charge of dwelling-houses ; much less would it

      extend it to poisons residing or lodging for any term ; and , so far from a set of boara tied to stakes and legislating with sick hearts , extending tho acceptation of tho term " liousohoWer , " we should , in about the nine hundred and fiftieth clause , and , when excitement had wholly passed away , find a nice question ; first , for tho solutioji of registering barristers , and open for the judges upon appeal , and then for the people , when they had been fairly humbugged out of their measure , and wearied into apathy .

      We are engaged in preparing a clear and intelligble case to submit to a dogged and a hostile jury ; the Household Suffrage party are engaged in supplying quirks , quibbles , and points , to mystify the jury , &nd evade our just claim . We msy be asked if residence is not a description of tenure whioh would operate unfavourably towards 1 tho claimants ? We answer , no ; tenure is a title derived from the superior lord , while residence is derived from th 0 mere occupant , and residence

      iR a thing with which no landlord , or combination of landlords , could interfere to any injurious tffect , and foi this simple reason : where there is a demand there will be a supply ; and if all the landlords-inchief of a voting district were to set their faces against allowing Chartist rotors to obtain a qualific-itioii by residence in premises over which they had controul , yet would there always be found asufBcient number uf huuaeholdcrs , independent of landlords , or living in their owu houses , to furnish residence to Whig , Tory , or Chartist who would pay .

      Mr . Collins may say , " Why , that's what I meant . " We know it , Mr . Collins ; and therefore have we treated your question seriously , elaborately , and respectfully ; but it is not 60 much what you mean that adds importance to our coincidence of opinion , as the construction which others may put upon your meaning . And now , to put you in the best position which you could desire , we not only admit the sincerity of your , meaning , but we also admit , for argument's sake , the truth of it—namely , that youv definition of Household Suffrage and the Chartist Suffrage are identical ., Then , Mr . Coluns , call tho spade a spade . The falso bait won ' t catch , a single mackerel , while it would lose many a sprat .

      If you are still to preserve the principle of the Chartor Suffrage , hope not to soften middle-class animosity by the spaciousness of terms , while others * perversion of your meaning mxy place a rock in your course . The people are now honest ; they are informed ; they are intelligent ; they are ono and all laid upon the right scent ! we require no foil to crose it . The very name would take hundreds from our ranks in diagust , while * it would not add a single convert to our force . Household Suffrage would represent monopoly ; Univorsal Suffrage would represent poverty .

      Wo trust , that our willingness to answer a question not too courteously asked , will convince those for whom we write , that we shrink not from the performance ot any duty which the advocacy of their cause imposes npm us ; while wo have an equal confidence that Mr . Collins will now see that wo had reasons , cogent , full , and ample , without recourse to any factious feeling , for making that comment which has extracted from him so erroneous an opinion . We do not belong to thai class who would prostitute themsolves to the support of a mere distinction without a difference for the purpose of maintaining party ascendancy by actiou * warfare .

      In conclusion , we beg to thank our friend for being the cause of thus drawing us into a new field : we feel assured that it will satisfy all parties , that the people's cause requires but a fair stage and argument to prove its justice ; while the happy result will be to unite us all once more in a bond of brotherly love and union , marshalled under the old banners under which we have been so long aocoatomed to fight and conquer . We now , after our two week 3 of bickering , tender the olrve branch : but our union and our love must depend upon » thorough understanding that Universal Suffrage msans no other Suffrage ; and that every man who Eeeks , henceforth , to prove otherwise , calls the Star his enemy * .

      We trust that the length of this article needs no apology > it is but a condensation of that knowledge which we have derived from the" ignorant ° people , ' aud which we thus give back in a more digested '" form . " Universal Suffrage' * . is oua *\ KtJir ( $ ^ fck ntjU "No Surrender" our Motto . y ^ f ^ W ** ' ] W | H ^ Pv we havo answered Mr . Collins i / faft ^ jjriiwML ~ jr fSi ;^ \ and a proper spirit . ^^^ P ^| 5 ^^^^ y \

      J^ Wttd,

      J ^ WtTD ,

      I«Sj »# General Gnttlxizence

      i « sJ » # General gnttlXizence

      The Northeen Stxik Saturday, February 20, 1841.

      THE NORTHEEN STxiK SATURDAY , FEBRUARY 20 , 1841 .

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      THE NORTHERN STAR . 3

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Feb. 20, 1841, page 3, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct367/page/3/