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Northern Star (1837-1852), 11th February 1843, Edition 2 of 4, Page 4

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    • THE NORTHERN STAR SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1843.. _ .^^^ - - —- ^^m^m ^^P^ ^b^V* ^^J ^^T% ft *^^^k
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      Untitled Article

      TO THE PEOPLE . Jbiecds , —It seems that the guess of theiitjerpool Times w&s right , and that fto " Honest" Go-Temment have stolen a month from the end of ine tunewhichthey themselves accorded to us and to jon for preparing to enconnter them in the foul field of legal fight . I have not yet received any aotice of thislast " move" npon their crooked Chess Board ; but yon will see from Mr . O'Connor ' s letter that he ias ; and I li ™ , therefore , in daily expectation of ihe benefit . There seems to be now so donbt that ire are to be " hauled up" on the 25 th insU , at

      Lancaster instead of iiverpooL The - more" is in perfect accordance with ihe whole conduct of the mean , treacherons , and cowardly factions . They never . dare t * rest their cause upon its merits . Subterfu # a and cunning are the only weapons ifcey can ctil -iheir own . And these they neTer fafl to make Ae indices and agents of their usurped power . We-ean cdy meet their cunning " doubles" with renewed determination and redoubled diligence . I ksov not what may be the effect of this alteration of the time and place of trial npon the fees which haunt every * tep of the oppressors ' course . I bare no doubt that it -inll be to make the expences heavier . At all events

      1 know that it iBto lessen the ability to meet them , iy shortening the time for the collection of the neeessary fends . Upon you , then , devolves the duty of convincing tyranny of your -determinataon to uphold ihe assertion , by your friends and champions , of the principles of right , and of the futility of all their pony efforts to suppress them . From the time this yaper reaches yoar hands , two weeks only siust elapse before the -victims will be taraght within the precincts of the unhallowed temple , and the pampered menials of oppression will be arranging the formalities of sacrifice . Permit me , t h erefo r e , to add my urgency to that of Mr . O'Connor upon this occasion . I haTe

      not often dnnned" you . I have served you zealously and faithfully for many years ; and my reward baa "been" continued turmoil where 1 might have had peace and quietness , tfaeexettange of * ' respectability " for contumely , of hard labour and inquietude for personal comfort and enjoyment , and of lucrative professional advantages and prospects for pecuniary Joss . I may therefore , for once , nrge you to exertion , not Sot myself—but for those good men , and there are many of them , whom , unless you step in to aid them , this villanpns prosecution must involve in ruin . It may be hard

      ¦ work , and I know it is $ but you must stir now . Many of these men who hare thrown themselves into the gap for you are utterly unable to procure fee legal aid which their defence requires . " Will you suffer them to be lost for want of it ! 1 Many of them have familie ? , who , in the event of their incarceration , lose their only prop . "Will yon suffer these families to -want that aid and comfort which the advocacy of your cause takes from them ?! Will per permit the father acd the husband to leaTe his cheerless home without the

      knowledge that his loved ones shall be safe if he return no more to them of months !! Many of your Tictim friends need present help . Many of them want the necessary personal aids and . comforts which are indispensible to their position . Many of item are a * great distances from the scene of purposed sacrifice—the * Justice HaH" {!)— 'Tkfor you they go there ; and they have a right to look to you lor means to get there . You must stir 3 Stoutly , bnskljiimiverssltysXioxcB 2 About the work I And laugh at faction ' s scoundrel efforts to depress you . The aim of power and faction is to keep its hold upon

      your liberties and resources . And this tbty will 4 o af yon-sufier men who have sacrificed all for yon -to besacrificed withont dne exertion on yonr part to sustain them . With such exertion , manifested , as it matt be if you love yourselves , in all ways possible—you may successfully defy them ; for the ¦ words of Holy writ are trae , that ** Though a righteous man fall seven times daily , he shall yet lise . " The power of right will overcome all if honestly put forth . The whole ease ib before you , and your appreciation of the efforts which hare been made for you will be best evidenced by the manner ja which you meet it .

      You will see that the time is now Ebort enough in all conscience fox those who haTe yet made so preparation , to begis tolthink about how they shall lafib the foul conspiracy , aod what they shall ray to "My fjords the Queers Justices , * ' and * the Jurors sworn , " anent the matter . I happen to be one of those . I have not yet bestowed a single thought npon ihe matter . I must do so sow ; and this mast be my answer { to the many requests for lecturing and preaching visits which 2 -have this Iweek received X had purposed to spend the whole of next week in 2 $ orth Lancashire , and to take at least

      another week before the Ltrerpool H meeting , " for the" purpose of visiting the various places in Sonth Lancashire and Cheshire , to which I hare been invited ; bat when it is considered how short Jhe time Is and how many preparations and arrangessents I mtul-heee to make , I am rare my friends in all those places will require no farther apology . I am one of those who never anticipate defeat , bat yet always provide against the worst . I shall go % & trial fully relying upon principle and trnth to triumph over prejudice , eyen in a

      middleelass Jury . I expect a Terdict of Not Guilty "; pat I shall provide for a different result , if it should come . This gives me much work . I have many arrangements to make both at Leeds and at Hull , independent of the necessary preparations for defence . These things make ft impossible , for me to remain in 2 ionh , Xan ~ cashire longer than Tuesday CTening , and impossible for me to go any where else until after the trials . The same re&son 3 must excuse zcj answering the letters of many of my food friends . I may not have time to do so .

      The trials , however , though important , must not engross our attention , to the exclusion of the means for carrying on the movement and amending our agitation . These SBbjec ' ts mmt be kept in mindj bat I suggest that as far as practicable you remain * quiescent on them till the trials are over . The nominations for the New Executive should be now going on , and they should eome into office on the first of March . 1 have received some nominations for publication ; there being no Secretary to whom to send them . 1 have not published them , for this reason ; 1 think it

      much better that the people Bhould wait till the trials are over , and see what men are in the field . Nearly every m&n of mark is in the set bo skilfully thrown over us by the combined hands of factious tyranny and treachery in our own camp . Let us Bee the net broken and the men at liberty , and then our choice ^ can be made freely . Such * is my advice . But if the people determine to go oh with the nominations , it is not ferme to dictate . " They shall be published if anything like a general desire for it is manifested . I advise the people , however , to do all great things cautiously . " Discretion is tha best part of valour , " and of patriotism likewise .

      In pursuance of this maxim , 1 think it right to advert to a report which has reached me of a proposition to make Lancaster and the neighbourhood the " seat of agitation" during the assiies . I hope thiB ¦ will not be dose . It is just one of those things which may do harm , and can do no good . The court will be an arena quite sufficient for the healthfnl exercise of prowess in defending our glorious principles ; and I hope that none of their advocates will K > far let their seal outrun wisdom as to give a needless handle to the enemy . I have altcays thus counselled ; and had I been more heeded , many severe , struggles with the enemy—perhaps this

      one —might have been av oided . I never seek danger though I never shrink from it when it comes ; 1 always choose a post which is defensible at cfl points ; and then I-stick to it : I never ran away . Order and truth are my weapons ; prndenee and perseverance , my watch words ; and consistency B » y shield . With these I have hitherto fought against the enemies of yonr righta , whether openly ranged wkh your foes or cunningly con oealed among yourselves . 1 shall always do bo ; and , recommending . the like course to yon , I bid job " God speed" in your hoi j warfare , and acgur a speedy and triumphant issue .

      I sin , as over , Yoar faithfml friend and servant , WlLUAB ^ JLL farther * Star Office / Leeds , Thnwdajj ^ ebroftrj . &b , 1842 . - i ' -s- ^ -s *^!* !**^ ' ^ " *'

      Untitled Article

      TRIUMPHS OF "EXTENDED COMMERCE "] THE LEAGUE CUTTING THEIR OWN THROATS . The cause of " Exteksiob" is doomed to die by the hands of its own advocates ! Nearly all the ** heavy blows and sore discouragements" which it has been fated to receive , have been

      administered to it by its own friends . Never were men so infatuated 2 They attempt to adduce factB and reasonings in support of their darling project , — while every effort they make tells against them ! and proclaims , trumpet-tangued , that " Extensions of Commerce" have not , hitherto , been of service to the great body of the producers and distributors of wealth ; and that consequently they have no interest to induce them to join ia an endeavour to procure another M Extension . "

      A great ** pother" has recently been raised about this same Extension . " We have had noise enough , and stir enough . We have had a party moving heaven and earth , as it were , to force the question of " Extension" upou publio attention . They have held iioket-meelings" in all parts of the country , at which one set o / paid performers have had all the " sag . " They have subscribed some £ 50 , 000 ; and boasted of setting some scores of tons of tracts loose upon the public , to convert every man of us to the cause of Corn Law Repeal . They have expended some portion of their £ 50 , 000 in building a League Hall , in the town of Manchester , in which to hold a meeting of Deputies from

      all the TownB in England and Scotland , that the £ 50 , 000 could procure to be sent . They have thus called together all the talent they can boast of , whether sincerely attached to their cause from a conviction of its righteousness and justice , or hired from the ranks of those who are ready to prostitute themselves for pay . They have had their u Aggregate Meetings . " For one whole week has the press of the Empire teemed with their sayings and doings . { The £ 50 , 000 has not been without its uses in that quarter !] The " Extension" men have Lad full scope ; ample fling : every opportunity has been given them to establish the justice of the claim they put forth , and show the reasonableness and efficiency of their much-vaunted measure .

      As one means of preparing to meet the public , and demonstrate the advantages to be derived from the adoption of the " Extension" plan , the League recently addressed a namber of queries to certain partieB all over the country , for the purpose of ascertaining the present condition of the people . The answer returned to these queries they have embodied in a report , which , on Friday last , was sent forth to the world , stamped with all the

      authority that an " Aggregate Meeting of Delegates to the Anti-Corn Law Demonstrations" could give it . It was drawn up by a Committee which boasted ot " Messrs . H . Ashwobth , T . Batlet , jun ., E . Baines Jan ., and . Jjaoius Punt , " as Secretaries . It is the production of the concentrated wisdom of tbe League ; and contains their " strong reasons" for the meiBureof " Extension" which the League calls upon the pnnlic to adopt .

      Now it fortunately happens that this question of " Extension" is not a new ot an untried question . It is not brought before us as a' question respecting which we know nothing ; and whioh , it is argued , might probably act in such aad such a manner , and lead to snob and such an end . We have had experience of its working ; for we have had many u Extensions of Commerce" within the memory of not very old men 1 That knowledge , therefore , has only to be brought to bear to demonstrate the advantage , or otherwise , of such " Extensions . "

      On several former occasions we have shewn , that , during the last fifty yean , our Commerce" with foreign nations has "Extended" SIX TIMES OVER . Allthatthe ieajtue had to do , therefore , was to show that each " Extension" had benefited ( he people ; and that the aggregate of Extensions " was purely an aggregate of benefits f ThiBof eouse they could easily have done , had the facts been so , asd this , would , hare been reason sufficient to all minds to show that another "' Extension" would be an additional benefit .

      It is well known what the condition of the producing many was fifty yeara ago , before fl Commerce * was much " extended . " It is well known that employment was plentiful ; and it is also well known , to use the words of Mr . He * pa , at : the late Leeds Squeaking Heeling , that ** the working men had wages for working for . " Of course the concentrated wisdom of the " Aggregate Meeting of Deputies / ' under the guidance and direction of •* E . Baixes , Jun ., and Tbomas Puht , " of Leeds , reported that in these particulars , the people were now much improved 1 That , as we

      have " Extended our Commerce" SIX TIMES 07 ER , employment is Bix-timea as plentiful ; and wages six times aB high ! Of coarse , t h ese sapient gentry did this , as the very least they could attempt to do , to demonstrate the advantages of u Extension , " and to cause us to endeavour to procure another ! Indeed , but they did not I They never eve n attempted it J Thiy showed , most conclusively that employment is very Bcarce ; that wages hare mo nstroiuly fallen , and that they are still failing They Bhowed that the Poor Kates in all the great

      seats of industry , " have doubled since 18 B 9 ! J while pauperism has increased in ratios varying from 300 to 600 per cent !!!! They showed that the amount of Bankruptcy and Insolvency is frightfully large , and that capital is alarmingly diminishing in tbe mannfaoturiDg districts . They showed that these are the effects , after we hav * " Extended " our Commerce with the Foreigner SIX TIMES OYER ! and they adduced these things as reasons why we should seek for another ** Extension " \ U

      Were ever men bo fool sh 1 J Were ever men so infatuates !! To cut their own throats with their own pettitoes in bo shocking a manner ! 1 Never did swine in water do it bo effectually , as these wiseacres have done , when once afloat in tbe lake of " Political Economy * ' » But we must have this Report recorded . It is too valuable to be silently passed over , or tuffered to fall into oblivion . It testifies too strongly , as to the effect of our present application of Machinery , and to our condition after a SIX TIMES OVER

      ** Extension" of our Foreign Commerce , to be despised . It is a pnblio admission of the trnth of the statements made , thousands of times , by the suffering sons of toil ; but whioh statements have been pertinaciously denied by those who now adopt them , and promulgate them , as reasons why they should be permitted to do again at this day what they have ever done in the past ; get the upper hand of the labourer , annihilate his personal freedom , and deprive him of all comfortable enjoyment .

      Here , then , is tbe * Report " . Lei the labourer study it well 1 Let him peruse it again and again I Let him remember that it is pnt forth by those who want him to join in the ery for "More Extension" ! Let him reflect that these are the reasons addressed to him , to convinoe him that it would be his interest to so join , and bo ery I And let him not forget that this picture of the condition of all classes in the conntry , has been drawn at the end of a SIX TIMES-OYER * Extension *! Here are the league Reason * Here they are TBE THITTMPHS OP "EXTBHDED" COMMESCE

      Mabchbstxb , Fbidat Evbhius The aggregate meetog ol the Delegates to the Amti-Com-law Demonstraitens in Manchester was held here ttia morning in the Town-haU , to receive the reports of tbe Committees , and to determine tbe future « ourse of proceedings to te adopted .

      Untitled Article

      Mr . H . Ashwob . th ma called to tbe chair , and Mr . Flint , of Xeeds , and the Rev . Mr . Scales , of Leeds , successively read the following reports : — Report of the Committee of manufacturers to the aggregate meeting of tbe Deputies of the Anti-Corn-Iaw Association of Great Britain , assembled in Manchester , Feb 3 , 1843 . The Committee met on the 31 st of January , and appointed as secretaries , MeBsra . H . Ashworth , T . Bayley , jun ., E . Baines , jun ., and Thomas Piint , to whom were committed the voluminous decnnient ? transmitted to the Coancil of the League , in reply to tbe queries as to wages , employment , pauperism , &c , ^ Y- ~> W ft ¦ ¦ ~ ^— ^^_^ . ^_« fc « a »* A ¦«

      sent out to all the manufacturing districts in December last . These documents they carefully inspected , and a digest of the principal portion was prepared and pre sented at the meeting of the section on the following day , by Mi . H . Ashworth . This digest referred principally to tbe cotton trade , and evidence on tbe same trade was presented by Messrs . W . R . and R H . Greg On the woollen trade statements were made by Messrs . T . Bayley and T . Flint ; the silk , by Mr . F . J . Taunton , of Coventry ; the shipping ; by Messrs . Jobnassohn and Hardcastle , of Sonderland ; on the hardware trade , by Mr . J . Seholefiold , M . P ., of Birmingham ; on fche linen trade , by Mr . Q , Baxter , of Dundee ; and on the hosiery trade , by Mr . H . Dawson , of Manchester .

      The details presented by these gentlemen are much too voluminous to be presented to the meeting ia full . Tbe Committee , therefore , have carefully analysed and classed them ; and they hope the following abstract , arranged under distinct beads , will be found accurate and

      faithful—First—THB BAT * OP WAGES AND THB AMOUNT OP EMPLOYMENT . There is alleged on all bands a considerable falling off in tbe demand for labour ; as a necessary constqo * nce there appears a very general and serious decline in tbe rate of wages . The per centage of both is variously stated ; certainly a redaction of tbe amount of employment is not over-stated 20 per cent ., and of wages an equal redaction , tbe combined result of which- to tbe operatives indicates a less command of tbe necessaries and comforts of life OF NEARLY TWO-THIRDS , as compared with their means in 1804 5-6 . In tbe woollen trade the falling off in tbe amount of employment and the rate of wages combined , is certainly not

      less than one-half tbe average of those years ; whilst in the trades dependent on ship-building , and in tbe manufacture of steam-engines and machines , tbe decrease is still greater . Collaterally with this falling off in tbe staple trades of tbe nation , it appears that , in the handicraft trades , such as bricklayers , masons , smiths , fcc ., tbe want of employment is very general , and tbe rate of wages has , in many instances , undergone a redaction ; a fact deserving particular notice , as indicating a severe pressure on the labour market , these trades being protected trades , and in times of severe depression having generally maintained entire tbe established rate of remuneration . THE TENDENCY OP WAGES IS STILL DOWNWARDS , and in several cases has undergone very recent depreciation .

      POOR KATES APD PAUPERISM . If the ratio of decreased employment and wages is in some degree conjectural , the rate of the increase of pauperism and poor-rates , unhappily , admits of no duubt ot caviL From all the great seats of industry tbe evidence on this bead is uniform and distressing . Since 1839 , the sums expended in tbe relief of tbe poor hate , on an average , tk / ttbled ; whilst the number of applicants has increased in various ratios , from 300 to 500 per cent . The painful fact , too , appears , that in several principal to * ns there have been very numerous applications for relief from a class of persons who , until the last two years , either from the comparative independence of their circumstances , or their independence of mind , never before applied for parochial aid .

      THE CONSUMPTION OF ANIMAL FOOD . The falling off in the consumption of butchers' meat is testified in all the reports made to tbe Committee . Tbe decrease is variously stated at from 20 to CO per cent . It is impossible to define with any accuracy the average decline of consumption ; but the fact is an admitted and palpable one , and the great redaction in tbe price of farmers' stock affords strong collateral proof . That the food of the mass of our population is deficient alike in quality and quantity , is attested by tbe reports of several medical men in different parts of tbe empire , and it is fully borne out by tbe statistics of tbe dispensaries , infirmaries , and hospitals in all our large towns—while there is a very large increase of disease and death . The returns tl » o t « the queries addressed to sick and benefit societies lead to the Bame melancholy fact

      INSOLVENCY AND DEPRECIATION OP CAPITAL . The fact , that during the last four years a very large amount of bankruptcy and insolvency has taken place throughout the wholesale and retail trades of the empire , needed no confirmation at the meeting of Wednesday . Various particulars , however , were furnished , especially with respect to the towns of Bunderland , Dundee , and Leeds . There can be little doubt that , taking tbe great staple trades of cotlon , woollen , and iron , tbe loss of capital has been very large , and that

      there is an alarming diminution of the whole floating capital of the manufacturing districts , both absolutely estimating the sum , total , and relatively , estimating the amount of labour to be employed . There ia too much reason further to conclude that tbe capital is still decreasing , partly bi the constant attrition of FIXED CHARGES ACTING ON A NAEBOWED RETURN . andparOyby the ruinous competition of those having mill properly—a , competition unnatural as tbe activity which , in some braaobea of our trade accompanies it . is feverish and unhealthy .

      TBS 8 H 1 PP 1 KG INTEREST . The evidence produced on this head leaves no doubt as to a large ana ruinous decline ia the state of the chipp i n g t rade , as well owners aabnllders . The evidence produced as te the important ports of Liverpool , Bristol , Sunderland , and Whitebaven , and more especially tbe two latter , is minute * nd startling . The fall in the pries of Teasels and freight , and the very contracted scale of building operations , leave no room for scep ticism as to the fact of a serious declension in tbe condition of our shipowners . Tbs details asto Snnderland will be read with peculiar interest

      THE CHARACTER OF OUR EXPORT TRADE . The searching analysis of onr exports in cotton fabrics , presented to tbe meeting by the Messrs . Greg and Rawson , developed 5 great change in the character of oar exports—a change which has been in progress for four or five years back . This analysis shows a great and rapid increase in the export of yarn , and a serious decline in the export of goods in the woven and printed State . Thi « applies particularly to the European trade , and it is to be accounted f « r by the rapid growth of manufacturing power on tbe Continent , first exhibited in tbe departments of weaving and printing , and now

      manifesting itself in the rapid erection of mills for spinning . Tbe process , indeed , which is going on alike in the cotton , linen , and woollen trade , points to the ultimate , and perhaps not very remote exclusion of our manufacturing products , either yarn or finished fabrics , if tbe restrictions on the import of food are continued ; and points oat the sound policy , n » y , tbe absolute necessity , of opening new markets for onr goods in those quarters of tbe world where tbe immediate and natural tendency ef industry is to agricultural employment . Another fad was developed relative to our export trade , that an increasing

      11 ASS OP COMMODITIES IS YEARLY EXPORTED FOR A stationary return ! This fact admits of only one solution , allowance being made for tbe greater cheapness of commodities arising from improved skill in manufacture , viz ., that as one range of imports is artificially narrowed and contracted by the practical rejection of agricultural products of foreign nations , and as our manufacturers and labourers are respectively competing amongst themselves for such a return as law permits , they are giving more and more goods for a

      stationary return . Tbe ruinous sacrifices made in our staple manufactures in foreign goods , and which are so often pointed to as indieatiDg an excess of production here , only indicate , in reality , therefore , the measure of tbe difficulty experienced in procuring returns . We do not make more than other nations can buy and pay for ; bnt we limit their power of payment by excluding tbe principal commodity they have to offer , and virtually to create a keen and ruinous competition amongst ourselves to secure Buch custom as we permit them to offer us .

      HOSTILE CHARACTER OP FOREIGN TARIFFS . Within fifteen months five hostile tariffs have been published , vix , the tariff * of Portugal , Russia , France , Belgium and the United States . By these tariffs tbe duties on our goods are doubled . Coupled with this fact is tbe equally starting one , that in tbe kingdoms of Prussia and France tbe increase of the woollen and cotton manufactures since 1830 shows a rate of progression quite outstripping tbe progress of the same manufactures in this country , and which threaten our early exclusion from the markets of tbe Continent . That our corn and provision laws have led to these hostile tariffs

      admits of no dbubt ; whilst it is equally clear , that to the exclusion of their agricultural produce is to be attributed the encouragement and rapid growth of infusing skill amongst the continental nations . That growth cannot now be stayed ; perhaps the time when it was desirable for the * interests of this country and of tbe Continent that the one should be mainly a manufacturing and the other as agricultural on « , is passed ; but this is at least clear—Great Britain has no resource bnfc to open her ports to tbe free import of food with all the world as the only means of finding a market for her various manufactures .

      In conclusion , the Committee have to express their c \ 6 St , decided , bnt painful conviction , that Vie distress of 1842 , exceeded that of 1811 , bad a * that was ; THAT THE CONDITION OF ALL CLASSES IS DETERIORATED ; the embarrassments of all producers and dealers greater ; that the physical condition of the people is alarmingly worse , and threatens in ifca final consequences serious demoralisation , and perhaps danger to the public order and peace : in one word , that we are reaping tbe bitter fruits of a practical limitation of an increasing population to the stationary produce of the horns soils .

      We must not pass this cut-throat document over lightly ! It is all-important ! It does Jor the League 1

      Untitled Article

      Under the head " Rat £ of Wages and Amount of Employment" the J « eagoe Report and testify that " there is a cons iderable falling off tn the demand for labour "; and ' * o serious decline in the rate « f wages . * They testify , too , that the operation of these two evils has been to cause the operative to have ijess , command of the necessaries and comforts of life u yp nearly two-thirds as cor \ pared with their means in 1834-5-6 . " Now how stands the question of " Foreign Commerce" at these two periods ? For an answer to this question may serve to show us whether there be any virtue in *• Extended Commerce , " to prevent the awful affects the League have but too truly described ! TT * - * J M ^ £ l * d % W Aft n * * U ** ^ * . . a O WT __ . ^ . . -ft £ ___ _

      . In 1834 we exported of British Produce and Manufactures , according to Official Value , £ 73 , 831 , 551 . In the year ending Jan . 5 th , 1842 , we exported , Official Value , 102 , 180 , 517 ! ! During tho&e seven years we " Extended '' our Foreign Commerce , no less than £ 28 348 , 966 , Official Value !! an increase equal to one-and-ahalf times of the whole amount of foreign trade we had in 1798—fifty years ago ! 1 And yet , notwithstanding this enormous "Extension" ; this

      vast addition to the amount of our foreign trade , it is declared by ( hose who wish to aecompli u h another Extension , " that at the end of that seven years , " the operative has a les . s command of the necessaries and comforts of life , of NEARLY TWO THIRDS , as compared with his means" in the beginning of that same seven years ! ! And the brazen-faced varlets have the impudence and audacity to force upon the operative's attention another " Extension of Commerce" as a means of

      bettering his condition !! The increase to our Foreign Trade during these seven yeara , was , as just shown , £ 28 , 348 , 966 Official Value . The whole amount of our Foriegn Trade , in 1798 , was £ 19 , 672 , 503 , Official Value . The Real value , however , of the trade in 1798 , was £ 33 , 148 , 082 . Had we been paid for the £ 28 , 348 966 increase in 1842 over the trade in 1834 , at the same rate as we were paid for our goods in 1798 , we should have realised from that increase alone , no less a sum than £ 49 . 723 , 023 ! We only did j-ealise for that increase £ 9 985 , 432 : consequently we lost

      upon that increased quantity of produce and manufactures cent abroad no less a sum than £ 39 , 737 , 591 !! or a sum equal to the amount of the interest of the National Debt , the payment of the army , the discharge of the Civil List , and cost of the Courts of Justice for one entire year !!! No wonder that the means of the operative to command the necessaries and comforts of life are diminished nearly TWO-THIRDS during ftie last seven years ! And the operative may take consolation to himself from the concluding words of the first section of the League ' s report— " the tendency of wages is STILL DOWNWARD . "

      Under the head "Poor Rates and Pauperism " the fact is proclaimed that " since 1839 the sums expended in the relief of the poor in the great seats ot industry , have , on an average , doubled : whilst the number of applicants has increased in ratio varying from 300 to 500 per cent . " Poor Rates doubled since 1839 ! and pauperism increased in ratio varying from 300 to 500 per cent ! Pretty well this , good folks , in three years ! Famous increase of Pauperism : pray how stands the qu . eBt . ion of Foreign Trade 1 We must surely , during those three years , have had a monstrous

      falling off in that department ! It cannot be possible that these effects can have followed the maintainance , even , of " our Foreign Trade . " Had we maintained the position we occupied , in 1838 , in relation to the foreigner , we should , at all events , have been as well-off as we were in 1838 : and could we have " improved" that position , by an " Extension" of the Foreign Trade of 1838 , we should surely have been better-off than we then were : for "Extended trade brings extended employment ; extended employment brings extended wages ; and extended wages must make us better off . "

      : Well , then , let us see how the faots stand . In the year ending January 5 th , 1838 , we exported of "British Produce and Manufactures" £ 92459 , 726 Official Value . In the year ending January 5 th , 1842 , we exported £ 102 , 180 , 517 Official Value . Consequently the increase to our Foreign Trade during those three years alone , was £ 9 . 721 , 286 ! ! an " Extension" equal to one-half of the entire Foreign

      Traiein 1798 !! And , yet with this enormous increase : with this vast M EXTENSION " during the LAST THREE YEARS , " Poor Rales have , on an average DOUBLED ; and the number of applicants increased i- , ratio varying from 300 to 500 per cent" 111 A n d anot h e r " Extension" is the REMbDY proposed to i id us of increased Poor Rates , and increasing Pauperism !! What wisdom we have amongst us !

      * We have before shewn what the Official Value of Exported goods in 1798 produced to us in real value . Had we been paid in 1842 for the £ 9 , 721 , 286 Official Value increase over 1835 , in the rate we were paid in 1798 , we should have received for that increased amount of Foreign Trade the sum of £ 16 , 574 , 341 . The amount we did receive was only £ 1 , 573 , 653 !! On the increase therefore , we lost the Bum of £ 15 , 000 , 000 ; or a sum equal to the cost of the Army , the Navy , the Civil List , the Annuities and Pensions , the Salaries and Allowances , and the China Expedition in 1842 !!! Is there no cause for the doubling of tho Poor Rates" and " the 500 per cent , increase of Pauperism" in this I Let " E . Baines , Jan . and Thomas Flint" answer !

      Pass we on , in the consideration of this most extraordinary report of the men who issued it to serve tbe cause it so utterly annihilates , to the section headed " Insolvency and Depreciation of Capital . " There , these provers that former " Extensions of Commerce" have done good , say , that , " taking the great staple trades of cotton , woollen , and iron , the loss of capital has been very large ; and there is an alarming diminution of the whole floating capital of the manufacturing districts . " Indeed I This is a curious effect , after a SIX / TiMES OVER "Extended Commerce" ! Do , pray , gogd ^ gentlefolks , look at what you are doing ! Have a little mercy on yourselves : pray do ! It is miserable work this , to see you hack and mangle your own throats in this shocking and self-mutdering manner !

      But the Iron Trade : is it suffering ! Has the loss of capital been great there { Is its diminution alarming in that department ; that really staple trade ! If so , pray how does it come to pass ? There is no " Foreign Competition" to be feared by the Iron Manufacturer . Pray how does it happen that this trade is suffering 1 We know you have a ready answer to all complaints respecting the depreciation of prices in cotton and other wove fabrics : and that you instantly utter forth tbe two words " Foreign Competition ; " and ascribe to such competition the cause of the depreciation . But this you cannot do in the case of the Iron Trade . According

      to Mr . M arshall , the Statician , " the only country in the world , besides England , that makes a sufficient quantity of Iron for its nse is Sweden , where it is made at a cost exceeding a half more than it is made for in England . " " Foreign Competition " cannot , therefore , operate here . Pray tell us , how it is , that the price of Iron , under these circumstances , should have depredated as much as the price of woven fabrics ! Ascertain the reason of this very strange and anomalous fact ; and then say whether you think another " Extension of Commerce" will stay the decrease of capital in the three great staple trades of the country !

      There are , however , two reasons assigned in this same seotion of the League ' s Report of their own madness , to account for the alarming diminution of capital in the manufacturing districts ; " which reasons ate " the constant attrition of FIXED CHARGES on a NARROWED RETURN j and tke / BVinOVS COMPKBTIDN OF THOSE HAVING MILLprofkrty . " The League have hit it at last ! How it has happened that they have at length seen ( and been fools enough to report that thty have so seen ) what every b » dy else has been to long familiar ,

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      with , is a question pregnant with curiosity . " The constant attrition of fixed charges on a narrowed beturn . " Yes , in troth , that ib one reason why capital is diminishing ! We have the H fixed charges" of 1798 ; but we have not the " returns ' of 1798 . And , whatever the League may think , until we qither raise the " returns" np to the " fixed charges" standard , or reduce the * ' fixed charges" to the standard of oar present " jsetorns , " "CAPITAL" WILL STILL CONTINUE TO "DIMINISH" at an " alarming" jrate ! spite of all the " Extensions of Commerce" they can effect ! Nay , it will " diminish" faster aid more " alarmingly" with every fresh " Extension , " until it be , in a very short timei entirely swallowed up ! I _¦ . * . —_ *¦ ^^ -

      The other ] reason assigned for the " alarming diminution of capital in the manufacturing districts " is lhe ruinous competition of those having Mill-Property . " Right again 1 The nail driven home But how comes it that the League have hit on this With them there should be no such thing as " ruinous competition . " With them all should be" free . " Ruinous competition is an impossibility , ' according to the doctrines of free-trade . " Competition is the only corrective in all matters relating to the production and distribution of wealth . The market for the products of j labour ought to be free ; and

      competition will establish the proper value . The labourmarket ought also to be free ; and competition will also establish its value . " So say the Leagued economists . But if competition CAN be " Bi / iNoes , " INTERFERENCE IS JUSTIFIABLE : and then away goes the whole superstructure of " freedom I , " If competition CAN " be ruinous " , those who are in danger of being * ' mined" have a right and a just claim to be protected : and thus the League establish the very principle they are leagued together to overthrow !! What a miserable set of suicides they are !

      The seotion under the head " Character ; of our Export Trade " , calls for some little notice . Here the League proclaim that this trade is undergoing a complete change . The foreigner , generally speaking only now requires our yarns , to weave up into fabrics with his own machinery , for his own consumption . Indeed he iu procuring the necessary machinery to enable him to spin the yarn for himself ; and thus render himself independent of our manufactures altogether . And can any one wonder this is so 1 Is it not right it should be ! Would they not be injuring themselves , not to take advantage of those means which will enable them to produce for themselves all that they require 1 If manufacturing and machinery be ! of benefit to ub , will tney not be beneficial to the Foreigner ! Could we reasonably

      expect to secure these advantages to ourselves alone Whatever expectations we may have entertained in regard to these matters , or whatevercalculations we may have indulged in , based on the supposition that we alone were to { possess machinery , and use it for the production of clothing for the world at large , it is clear that we have " reckoned without our host . " Other nations have procured machinery ; other nations are manufacturing ; and in spite of all the " Extensions of Commerce" that the League can procure , either by the " removal of the restrictions on the import of food , " or by any other means , the '' process whioh is going on alike in the cotton , linen , and woollen trade , points to the ultimate and perhaps not very remote , exclusion of our manufactured products , either yarn or finished fabrics . "

      Yes ! the " proces 3 ** of excluding us from the Foreign market "is going on alike in the cotton , linen , and woollen trades" ! In proof of this , read the following from the New York Weekly Herald of Saturday , December 31 st . : — " In the village of Woodsocket , R . I ., there are eighteen mills in which there am are 1 , 268 looms , 50 826 spindles , and 1 , 262 hands . The aggregate number of yards of goods produced during the past year is 9 739 , 717 , of which there were 2 SO . O 0 O yards warpg ; 684 000 yards flannels , 364 000 yards jeans , 62 400 yards negro cloths , 156 , 000 yards satinets , 5 : 645 . 000 yards cotton prints , and 3 , 117 , 000 yards cotton sheeting . " This in one villagb ! Verily , the " process is going on !"

      And this " process" cannot be stayed ! Whatever course of policy we may pursue , we cannot induce other nations either to refrain from setting op new manufactories , \ in which shall be used our last new and improved machinery ; or to discontinue the machinery theyjare at at present using . Ic is idle foil / to expect it . On this point : the great political teacher of his day , Mr . Cobbett had some very apt and apposite remarks . His strong and commons-sense mind saw the question in a common-sense light ; and some short time before his removal from amongst us , he distinctly told the " working Manufacturers of the North" what they might expect as the result of the introduction and application of machinery , in relation to our being able to maintain a superiority in the markets of the world . His words were : —

      " It is my opinion that the mmufacturing game is nearly over : it bos been a profitable game to a great many persons : it has made your employers rich , proud , Insolent , cruel , and base ; but the days of their prosperity .-ire , in my ] opinion , never to return . Aa long as manufacturing was carried on by the hands of people , bo long England enjoyed , and was likely to enjoy in this respect , a great superiority over other nations ; because English people , if not more ingenious than those of other countries , are more industrious , more addicted to order and punctuality in business , more in the babit of prompt obedience to employers , mach more persevering , much more proud of performing of excellent

      workmanship , and , are , at the same time , blessed with a ciimate that knows so little of extremes , as seldom or ever to be a hiuderance to the labourer . But when the hand of man came to be supplanted by machinery , the principal part of these advantages must , in a short time , be greatly diminished : when fire , water , iron , steel , tin , and uttwr things employed in a certain way , rendered the hand of man almost unnecessary , it was impossible that the former superiority could be maintained to the same extent ; because all these materials are to be found in ail countries ; and because the interest of ether countries would naturally introduce the use of them . If one farmer were , by some accident , to

      discover the means of racing greater ctopa than his neighbours , at a tenth patt of the expence , he must ; until his secrut became known to other farmers , be thriving at a rate most prodigious ; but as soon as his secret became known , it would be nothing worth to him : all other farmers would use thfa same means ; and be would be , with respect to other farmers , just wbere be was before tbe discovery of his invention . Machinery , as long as it is confined to one nation , gives to that nation a great superiority over others : it adds , infect , to the riches and power of chat nation ; but when introduced into other nations , it may make the situation , I mean the relative situation of the first nation , a great deal worse than it was before .

      " If , for instance , there be a man who understands well bow to reduce or enlarge tba scale ot a map ; if be understand bow to reduce this upon mathematical principles , without the assistance of any instrument ; and if this be understood by comparatively a very few others , the to lent of that man is valuable to him otbets who want plans reduced or enlarged , must apply to him Or to some Buch rare person ; but if some one discover an instrument for this purpose , by which such reduction or enlargement can be effected with perfect accuracy by aay human being that has fingers , and thumbs , and eyes , or who is as capable of as much Attention as is necessary in tbe act of decently putting

      victuals into one's mouth ; if there be an instrument of this Siirt discovered , tbe mathematical knowledge of the clever man will become of no use to him ; and he , as far as this manufacture is concerned , might as well not know how to ] multiply or divide any sum of whole numbers . So , also , if there be an instrument or machine , which , upon being , merely set in motion ' will make calico or cloth , as well as the most active and ingenious spinner and weaver , the ingenuity , the cleverness , the industry , all tbe excellent qualities of the spinner and the Weaver become of no use . When I was last in Ameriea , I went to Pattison , in New-Jerset , where I saw , in one place , a spinning jenny , or some such thing , turning cotton into a sort of string , or thread , or whatever it ia called ; and in another place ,

      three or four power-looms , I think they are called , weaving the strings into cloth , and twisting its round upon a sort of reels . These devils of things bad only a couple of Yankee girls to attend tfiem , as it were , to see fair pliy . X&e whole of this machinery was set and kept in motion by a stream of water that came tumbling down from tse top of a rock , a 6 the top of which nature had made a large basin , that had a gap Jo . one of t h e e d g e s of i t , out of which the water came tambling . ' Oh 1 Oh ! ' said I , * if cloth can be made by these things , and the cotton grow in this country , % is impossible that the cloth can come from Eagiand for many years . ' Tw > or three Bnglishmen had made tbe machines , and bad taught tbe Yanktmhowto do the like .

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      " I do not blame the discoverers of ingenion . chinery ; I do not censure the thine in itself . k ?*" say that the discovery hat been an evil U thU w * t l beca » 3 e it has taken from it , or will very boohTl from it , that great manufacturing superiority whi ^ T possessed over the rest of rhe world . Machines- i- * love and death , is a leveller : it puts nationsT level : and if the dreadful engine ; which Was Si !? * have been invented for the sending forth of canno i ^* with ten timea , or ten thousand times , I belief * quickness of cannon and ponder ; if that cu'd \ been brought to perfection , and made to act . h 9 In a short tima . haTo r > nfe nlmnof oil „„«__ tIH UJt , in a Bhort timehave put almost all nations _ . *^^

      , unT ^ level , in point of warlike force . Therefore , I tKnt ° manufacturing game is nearly over ; and that j « n "" to place no reliance upon any thing to produce a ^^ of the former cfrcum ? tancea of y » ur business , t * cot t on , and the wool , and ailk , are every wherp i first Land the last in a greater abundance abroad ^ they are heie ; and there being machines in aji ^" tries to convert them into articles of drew cnr ! i Ottn * sense forbids us to expect that other nattottg ^ Ji ^ at the expance of paying for ships to fetch these IJ ? cles from us , and give us a profit for makiae th *™ « the bargain . The tbing cannot be : it b prem ^ to aupposa it ; and , therefore , if our Government " » ** t * ise , it would be making preparations according ! , ' *

      To this it is unnecessary to add another w , j Facts and experience prove that the opini ^ clearly and so forcibly expressed were correct , Th ° manufacturing game w . * s nearly over . It i « 8 just about up ! " The process whioh is s ^ on alike in the Cotton , Linen , and Woollen IV /^ points to the ultimate , and , perhaps , not t ** remote EXCLUSION of our manufactured *** ducts , either yarn or finished fabrics , " from J *" markets of the world .

      In this same seotion of this famous and serri able Report , there is one sentence which a ! deserves , and loudly calls for , a separate and d * tinot article to itself . The nature of the question " involved in it , and the many considerations it gives rise to , preclude the possibility of a full exami . nation of it at this time . It is a sentence pre nant with mighty meaning ! The Leaguers say : " another fact was developed relative to our Export trade ; that an INCREASlAfi

      MASS OF COMMODITIES 13 YEARLY EXPOBTED Jqb ST AT ION ABY return . " So ! we have piuned the League down to the consideration of this question at last ! Well , thank God , our labour has not been in vain ! To this " fact" we have been for years con * stantly calling their attention ; but this is the first time that they could be induced even to notice it The " fact" is stated as if it waa but just now a developed ; " notwithstanding we have been ding . donging it ia tha ears of the publio for so Ions a

      period . This , however , wa do not mind . The Leagae have been at last compelled to notice \\ . The havoc it was making in their ranks , whenever it was brought before the attention of their deluded followers , has caused them to endeavour to account for it , and to make it sqaare with League notions . This they have attempted to do . How far ihej hsvg succeeded in that attempt we shall presently see Let us first , however , have the " fact" more in detail before us .

      " An increasing mass of commodities is gtMyeg . ported for a stationary return . " Never were words more trae , generally speaking : and never was greater condemnation of the whole course of our Export Trade ! We have to give an increased mass of commodities for the same amount of money ; nay , even for a less amount of money ; and this "fact" tells as , most emphatically , that our Foreign Trade , instead of bejng a benefit to us , ia a losing gama whioh impoverishes us the more the longer it is continued and tbe deeper it is played .

      The amount of our Exports in 1836 vns £ 85 , 229 , 837 , Official Value ; which brought nsin Real Value , £ 53 , 368 , 572 . As we have twice before stated , in tbe yea r ending Jan . 5 , 1842 , the amount of Exports was £ 102 , 180 , 517 Official Valve ' jot which we received in bbal Value only £ 51 , 634 > , 623 ! The increase ia " mass of Commodities" in 1842 over 1836 was £ 16 , 950 , 680 Official Value ; while the " betdbm" instead of being ' stationary" im £ 1 , 733 , 949 LESS for the greater quantity of produce ! ! ! In fact , we have been burning our candle at both ends : and when it is neatly burnt out , we turn up our eyes and wonder how it happens that the substance is wasted I

      Now , then , for the League ' s solution" of the ' developed fact" Say they : " as one range of imports is artificially narrowed and contracted by th « practical rejection of agricultural products of foreign nations , and as our manufacturers and labourers V 9 respectively competing amongst themselves for snob a return as the law permits , they are giving more and more goods for a stationary retirn . " In other words , this " fact" is ascribed to the operation of the Corn Laws : for it is those laws which " practically reject the agricultural products of foreign nations . " It has become the fashion now-a-dave , to ascribe all the evils that afflict society to the operation of these same Corn Laws : and here we have a splendid specimen of the accaracy of the reasoning employed by the Leaguers .

      If this solution of the ' * fact" thus offered by the League be a correct one , it will follow that the " fact" has only been M developed" since the Corn Laws came into operation : for if it waa " developed " before the Corn Laws were passed , it is clear that the Corn Laws cannot have been the cause of it ; and the League ' s " solution" will turn out to be no solution at all . Let us examine . The Corn Laws were passed in the year 1815 . We shall take the list of exports in 1802 , and again in 1815 ; and see whether this " fact" waa not thea " developed ; " aye , even -before the Corn Bill was introduced into Parliament at all !

      The Offi-ial Value of the exports in 1802 W * £ 27 , 012 . 108 ; and the Real Value was £ 48 . 500 , 683 The Official Value of the exports in 1815 was £ 41 , 712 , 002 ; producing in Real Value £ 49 , 652 , 245 T he increase i n the " mass of ( . commodities" exported at the latter period over the former , was £ 14 , 699 , 894 , Official Value ; while the Retcbh was all but " stationary ; " we having only received for that monstrous increased " mass of commodities

      the insignificant sum of £ 1 , 151 , 562 . Had the betobx in 1815 been eq , ual to the return in 1802 we should have received the sum of £ 74 596 , 332 , instead of ordj £ 49 , 652 245 . It follows , therefore , that upon the " Extended" trade from 1802 to 1815 , BEFORE THE CORN LAWS WERE EN ACTED , we lost the enormous sum of £ 24 , 944 , 087 . i / e « is » CJ M developed" which upsets the •' solution" of the Leagued Solons ! Mr . " E . Baines , jnn ., and Thomas Plini" must try their hands again 1

      The section headed •« The Hostile Character of Foreign Tangs" mast have more consideration than we can now bestow npon it . That consideratioa it shall shortly have . It opens up the whole question of" Protection to native Industry , " in contradistinction to the principle of"freedom" advocated by the Leasue . We hold , speaking generally , that tne respective governments have acted in accordance with true principle and sound policy , in passing those " Hostile Tariffs : " and this we engage io m&e plainly apparent on a future occasion .

      In conclusion , we must entreat the reader to wei * b well tbe words of the last paragraph of this most suicidal Report . Those words are indeed pregnant with meaning and purport 1 They diBtincily affirm the destitute condition of the producers of wealth , even after a S 1 X-TI » E 3 OVEH increase of Foreign Trade ! And they as distinctly read the death-warrant to the League project to get us out of the difficulties therein set for * . Never were men so unfortunate as the infatuated men of the League ! This report proves that although they may have " brass , " they have not all the " wisdom in the world" !? With their »•»— - a

      ^— V ^ H « ^ " — — ° own hands have * py deprived Leagueism or life . They have effectually cut its throat ; and mangled its defunet carcase most unfwj by their hacking and . mangling mtn dull and blunt weapons o ( offence : and we now pat » to the people at lar ^ as a jury , whether the verdict oaght not to be : " Homicidb at the hahds o » ITS BK 1 END 3 J COMMITTED WHILE IS A S 1 iMa ° * Mental DEEANGt . MEM . *'

      The Northern Star Saturday, February 11, 1843.. _ .^^^ - - —- ^^M^M ^^P^ ^B^V* ^^J ^^T% Ft *^^^K

      THE NORTHERN STAR SATURDAY , FEBRUARY 11 , 1843 . . _ . ^^^ - - — - ^^ m ^ m ^^ P ^ ^ b ^ V * ^^ J ^^ T % ft *^^^ k

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      4 T H E NORTHERN STAB . £ ll «| 1 ab a fc

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Feb. 11, 1843, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct468/page/4/