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Northern Star (1837-1852), 30th September 1843, Edition 3 of 4, Page 4

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    • THE NORTHERN STAR. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER SO, 1843.
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      Untitled Ad

      PORTRAIT OP ¥ . P . ROBERTS , ESO . Mr . O'Co 5 > " OB has received communications from many distri' ^ ta in all of which a very great desire is expressed to have a pohtbaii of Mr . Roberts , tbe pe jple * s Attomey * Gener 8 l We cannot wonder that a strong wish should be entertained to possess a likeness of so truly amiable , talented , and tvaea man ; and although we know that Mr . O'Connor bad determined to give no more Portraits , yet we have the pleasure to announce that all Subscribers for Three Months , from Saturday , the 23 rd of Sept , ¦ wi ll receive A . POB . TBJUT OP W . P . KOBEBTS , THE PEOPLES ATTOBNEy-GENERAi . We request tbe several Agents to opes lists for the enrolling of names , as none but Subscribe ' fnm tbe above dates wiil receive a plate . The pr * ce ef Paper and Plate wben presented will be Sixpence ; and nose will be Bold without the paper .

      Untitled Ad

      THE LAND ! THE LAND !! THE LAND ! II Fesgus O'Connor , Esq . will Lecture on the above important subject , in the Large Theatre of the Rotunda , Bl&eHriars Road , on Tuesday evening , October 3 rd . Platform Sixpence j Upper Circle , Three-pence ; Pit , Twopence . Doors open at Seven , Lecture to commence at Eight o ' clock . Working-men ! do your duty ! Attend , hear , and judge for yourselves ! J

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      POM ) IB .-Du 5 j cp a Black Sheep . —Died , on Tridsy n . orning la- ' ^ at twenty minntes past seven o ' clock , aged did & mouths , the Herald newspaper ( late Chronicle ) . Since the birth of this dwarf , symptoms of pTema ' jue dissolution .. have been . visible , and , notwithstanding &U the care and unremitting attention "w ^ ca Its top fond surges eonld bestow upon tbei ^ .- pet , it got -weaker under their caresses , instead of gathering strength , until at last it sunk into sr- „ _» sfing slumber in its father ' s arms , at the time above stated . The immediate cause of death a- " ., teething . It had no teeth ; and howeverangry it might be , it was perfectly harmless in the bitag * * ray Some years ago the Dundee Chronicle news-» wr was for saleand lie Chartists

      heremna-_; , 3 ered their strength in order that they might , by ¦ pnrchasiug it , procore a local organ tfaroogn whiah , -onder their own management , the psaoples of the People ' s Cbarter might be prominently kept before tie public The Tssnlt was the * rarchase of that paper at the sum of eight hundred younda Bterling X £ 380 zaore than its value ) . Shss « 3 in the concern -were rapidly taken np , and instalments thereon Tegnlsrly paid for a considerable 3 ime . The paper fell inta the hanis of the new proprietors , howeTer , long-ete one third of the purchase money -was paid tip , « d of coarse they had to "borrow -what they Trerfl defieient * of . This state < ff things led them into obligations to ^ some persons who were enemies to the Chartist causa . These parties did all that in them

      lay to frustrate the only object-which "was had m view in ^ rarchasing the journal , -namely , to forward the -csose of daaocracy . This difficulty might hate beca jpt over had the oeople continued to pay the instal-Eentsupon their shares regularly . The Chronicle wa 3 * ot long-wider Chartist management , however , -when "it became ^ evident that a-xariainparty of professed frienda , from some of wfeom betier things might have fceen looked for ,-wished to hare it in their own hands , and under their entire cod trol . This had the effect of damping the energies of those who felt no interest is tbe-aaderk&king , exeept as far as the advancement of the great pnblie cause was concerned . Some continued to pay and'gramble ; others stopped payment at once : ultimately , the paper did fall into the

      ijgsdsof those "who seemed so anxious for it . Shortly asfiar-this agentleman ^ rom Manchester ,-was brought down to edit it ; but a few articles which appeared in the Star , pnt a seal upon his labours in this quarter . Since then editors , managers , reporters , (?) printers , and printers' devils hare been changed and rechanged with the changes of the moon ; bat all proT 3 d unavailing . At last they thought of changing tfce name of tbeT > &per ; but , alas , what after all is in a name ! The Herald arose from the ashes of Gld-Ckrony ; but , like us -predecessor , only existed to experience the contempt and neglecs of all honest politicians . And if ever the well-known fable-of the - " jOld Man and his Ass" was Terified to the letterit iias been in its brief existence . It was a professed

      Sturgeite ? yet in its half-grown pages , it . was led away by every wind of doctrine . In attempting to please every body , it offended all and w&g pitched overboard into the bargain . £ We give the above as -we received it , trusting to the veracity of out correspondent for the truth of the statements it contains . "We should * ot hare noticed the matter , bnt that we understand great dissatisfaction prevails among a number of the Chartist body in Forfarsbire , who subscribed their money for the purchase and support of a paper , which did not at all represent their sentiments when brought under , as they supposed , Chartist management . They coneeivo thai their xtoney , has "been wrongfully applied ; iow far they _ tsv be right they are the best judges themselves . ]

      Sheffield , —Mobs m Spukiou 3 Cctleet . "Mr . John Pearson , of Angel-street , appeared before the magistrates on Friday last , to answer a charge made against him for having in his possession a quantity of blades marked " cast steel , " they being Biade of common steel . It appeared that there was an informality in the summons , and it was dismissed ; but the £ oods were detained , and another summons granted , charging him with the manufacture of spurious cutlery , for the purpose of sal ? . There are some awful exposures taking place . The Independent } the organ of the free traders , and the Mercury are at open war , the " freebooter ' s" journal palliating the eonduet of the " respectable manufacturers , " and alleging that the Corn l * ws compel the manufacturers to " get up" these inferior goods . The Mercury , iowever , without dtnying the right to

      stake inferior goods , justly charges the freebooters -with dishonesty , in imposing on the world-as " superior cutlery , ' the east ' or ** sow -mstkiT goods which they for a lose time bare been making in great abundance . The ** tricks of the trade , " too , are being laid bare : London merchants getting their foods made in Sheffield , and b » ring them marked ¦ with their owjibim as London made , and extorting as hiftB as eighty per cent , profit upon them . Surely , these things will open the eyes of those who are continually bawling out that we hare lost our foreign trade because of our protective duties I Many * time hare the Chartist lecturers , is their discussions with the "League" men , stated these things ; bat they have been nnblnshingly denied . However , vow they cannot deny them . Let them only come to Sheffield , and they shall have them thrust uxder their noses .

      Thb Tkadbs . —ThB tradts are going on with the good work of enrolling themselves into an associated body . Twenty-seven have already joined . The table-knife blade makeis , * o the iramber of 600 , hare turned out for an advance of wages , and are likely to succeed , as several masters have already acceded to their demands . There is one feature connected with this tern-out , that evidently denotes the " March , of mind .- ' At their first meeting , it -was debated , whether it would not be advisable to purchase or rent a piece of land , to employ the turnouts upoOfWith a view to increase their funds , and prevent the waste of capital and labour . The proposition mat with universal satisfaction , and we believe the associated trades will take the question Bp , * nd deposit their fonds in a solid bank , and ' not trust to the chance of hang bilked by the " rag rooks / 1 * s many -of the benevolent societies have been by a eerUan swindling shop now defunct .

      BATB . —Seizobes pox Chcbch Bates . —Our Correspondent writes : —One of those disgraceful scenes so opposed to the character and interest of true Christianity , has been enacted in this city . It appears that some of the inhabitants of Snow-hill and "Eiing-lane . in the parish of St . Saviour ' s , refusing to subscribe towards the support of a Church the doctrines sf which they disavowed , declined to pay the rate of fourpence in the pound levied for that purpose ; die result of which was that the -holy (!) ** officials" of religion sought a distress warrant to be levied upon the goods of the reensants , which being granted was duly put into execution on FrTday

      and a watch was taken from Mrs . Curtis , and one also from Mr . Sinking , some bed clothes from -Mr . "Watlock , andacartfrom Mr . Window , who i s an out an out Chartist .- A short time ago a poor main in "Wiltshire was distrained on for Vicarial tithes , to the amount of 10 s ~ expences incurred upon a rate of Is . 4 d . when the worthy successor of the apostles ¦ visited the man ' s wife who was ill at the time , and finding no money forthcoming , immediately left , and so sooner bad he done so than the bailiff entered and took the chairs and one of the man ' s two tables . How well to these /* apostolical" harpieB apply the lines lately given in the

      Examiner—•* The Pharisees of old heaven ' s path to seek GaTe tithes of all , and fasted twice a week ; Our wiser saints euch plans have far surpassed , They take the tithes and leave the poor " to fast . " 3 ABMSXET . —The town is in a state , of exciteznest in consequence of the attempts of some of the masters to rtdnce wages . The attempts of Norris and Co . to break throngh the printed list of prices has fs . 'J ed , and the men . under their employ have returned to their work ; but an » iher -struggle has now commenced , flaxworth and Co . have long

      manifested a dispoemon to rednce wages . On Monday , the 18 : h , a public meeting of the workmen was held on May Day Green , when it was unanimously resolved to strike sooner than submit to a further reduction of their miserable wages . On Mocdsy last another public meeting was held oa 3 iay D 3 y Green ; the meeting was addressed by Messrs . Grimshaw , Harper , and Garbntt . Informatioii respecting the progress of the strike was fiven , and the weavers of Barnsley pledged themselves to support the strike against Haxworth and Co . to the last .

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      LATEST INTELLIGENCE . ToszisaL-Tle revolnrion in Greece is the allabsorbing topic of tfes movement . The change was tffeciedwjthouttheshedding of a < irop of blood , by the mere " moral-force exhibition of * d armed people and palnohc « . 2 dW y snrroundtDg ibe-Segal Palace , and «^ Pettmg the booby Otho to submit to their ^ f rf iC ^ were-A Constitution and the kick"SL ? j £ , ? *^ and « H o ^ er Foreigners . " which wfiniiTw ^^ »' e the * ^ Wiucn we mil lay before onr readers next week . TsS ^" " ^ " ^"" 7 , ^ been ^ covered at ^ Tw ^' n" Aa M 4 . nfernjd ^ "bine » ^ tended to towop ihe En ^ ror of all the Rvjiins " had

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      A Gxato BASqwEi Was grrcn to Espirtero thp Ex-B ^ nt Spain , by the Lord Mayo ? of Sdon at the Mansion Housa , on Tuesday last . Death £ B Pbomesos Biii . —We hava to announce the = deatb of Ceorge Joseph Bell , Esq ., p ^© . fessor of S » ta Law in the University of Edinburgh on Saturday iast , after » profaraeted illness . Faiai . Aocebshi . — On Wednesday morning , aboat « ight o ' clock , a labouring m » n , jaamed James Bnrl , wasinthe * luBsel as the Eguitabls lias Woiae , ThaiDes ^ bEnk , assiBtisg in the unloading of some £ oal , wlfen bj some accident one of tbe waggons rail against ffim . He was kuoeked down , and the wheel passed over his head , depriving the nnforwBate man in * b instant of life , ^ ie deeessed has J ^ jt ^ wrfe mi yoocg fam 2 j to deplore his loss .

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      OUR ° IMPROVED" TRADE . MORE u PHOSPERTTY . ' At length we have another gleam of sunshine ; and much is sought to be made of it . We have had seven long years of " depression ; " two good harvests , and the state of jllmjfactuues in Stain have " rrtiiaT' ns a little ; and the journala of both factioss are claiming for their respective parties , the credit of having caused that revival . " The Tory Standard says that Peex has * restored

      prosperity V the Whig Chronicle says that Peel has cansed " our merchants to give their goods away' ' !! The Standard says that "in two short years , Peel has wronght a glorious and happy improvement : " the Chronicle makes answer , that M Pxel has , first of all , sacrificed the Farmer , to enable the opulent classes to pay the income-tax and since then he has sacrificed the Merchant and Manufacturer to Jcerp up the shadow of Foriegn trade" !

      All parties are however agreed , that we have a u better trade "; i . e . we have more of it just now than we had . The cotton manufacturers are busy ; the demand for woollens is much more " active" ; the worsted and stuff trade is " great : '' in fact , in all departments of onr clothing-manufacture more is doing : but at what cost I What la the price we have to pay for our *» prosper ity" i How has it been brought about ! BY A SACRIFICE OF ( XNE-TW ELFTH OF OUR PRICES ! By giving the foreigner and the tax-tater all the advantage of the PKKL-forced reduction in cost of living . "

      Is this donbted ! Read what follows from the Chronicle of Tuesday . It is worthy of great attention . It is another proof of the ** improved tone of fecRng" which the Chronicle of Monday glorifies so rollickLngly . It proves that new modes of thought are manifesting themselves amongst the Fbek Traders , as well as amongst the Chartists . Jt thews that there is even in the Chronicle a - disposition to listen to economical tbcths "—a desire ** to omprehend principles" ; and we must congratulate the Chronicle most heartily on itB conversion to , and enunciation of , the doctrine eo long exclusively confined to the pages of the Northern Star , and so long derided and opposed by even the Chronicle himself .

      O 1 yes , there is a change in the lone of the pnblie mind : and tbe following extract from tbe Chronicle is one great proof of it . Let the reader of the Star look over it well ; and let him call to mind the scores of times that similar facts hava been adduced by us , as reasons why we should not adopt the theories of free trade ; because they were calcalated * TO BENEFIT NOBODY , except a few foreigners ; and erupt annuitants and office '

      holders at home , the ppkchasijcg toweb op whose INCOMES THKT WOULD INCREASE" ! Glad WC U 6 to have the reluctant testimony of the Chronicle to the truth of our reasoning , and the force of onr objections . That testimony is all the more valuable , because the Chronicle bbows that it is founded on , and borne-oat , by the operation of the Free Trade Tariff . Such an admission from such a quarter we certainly did sot expect . Here it is , however : let the reader treasure it op well .:

      —" In tbe finance accounts of the year ending January 5 , 18 * 3 , the -value of tbe produce and manufacture * of tbe United Kingdom exported , calculated at tbe official ratea of valortioii , w&s in tbe year ending the 5 th of January , 1841 , £ 102 . 705 , 372 ; 1842 , £ 102 . 180 , 517 ; and 1843 , £ 100 , 260 , 101 . Every penon knows that these official rates of valuation do not correspond either to tbe declared or the real value of the commodities exported . They signify only quantities ; and we learn , : therefore , from these returns , that the qaantitlea of I export * in 1840 exceeded those of 1841 , and those of 1 1841 exceeded those of 1842 . Tbe fsllizig-on * in tbe [ year 1842 , as compared to the bad year of 1841 , was j £ 1 , 920 , 416 . That diminution Id tbe quantities of our j exports in the year that tbe tariff came into operation , I is another proof of its disastrous effects .

      " Tbe same returns supply us with tbe declared value of these exports , which were , in the year ending January S , 1841 , £ 51 , 406 , 430 ; 1842 , £ 51 , 634 , 623 ; 1843 , £ 47 , 381 , 023 . Tbe increased Talue of the exports in tbe year 1841 corresponded to tbe increased quantity . Last year , however , tbe quantities of tbe exports were reduced £ 1 , 920 , 416 , say one-fiftieth ; but the valne , which is of much more consequence , was reduced £ 4 253 . 600 , or one-twetftb . To enable our vutnufaclurers and merchants to export and sell even that

      diminished quantity , THET WEBB OBLIGED TO SUBMIT TO A SACRIFICE OP £ 4 253 600 , OB . OSB-TWELFTH O ? THE WHOLE VALUE OF THE EXPOBTS . Sir Robert Peel boasted a little , in July , of our reviving trade , which it now appears he has forced to the injury of our traders , by degrading prices . By bis scheme , be first of all , sacrificed the farmer to enable tbe opulent classes to pay tbe Income-tax ; and since then he hu sacrificed the merchant and manufacturer to keep up , under bis restrictive system , the shadew of a foreign trade .

      " It is well known that tbe price which onr soanu-&ctBrfers can obtain abroad for their commodities determines , in a great measure , the price for which they can be sold In tbe home market By not allowing a free importation of those foreign commodities for wnich ours can be exchanged , a comparative glut of tbe latter was produced in tbe foreign market Our merchants -vere compelled , to a certain extent , to give them away , Tbe result , therefore , of Sir Robert Peel ' s legislation to degrade prices was , first to injure his agricultural friends , and next to injure tbe merchants and manufacturers . Me has oewfiiled nobody , except a few FOREignebs , IMMEDIATELY , not ultimately ; and exrept ASKUJTASTS AJfD OFFICE-BOLDEBS AT HOME ,

      the PURCHASING POWER OF WHOSE IKCOMBS , induding those of tbe First Lord of tbe Treuarj , SB HAS INCREASED . It is a strange theory , but it is most certainly true , that we had procured the Annual Finance Accounts , for the express purpose of laying the facts contained in the above extract before the readers of the Star t and grounding on those facts precisely just such conclusions as the Chronicle has bo convincingly arrived at 2 At the present moment those Accounts lay open before us ; and we can truly say that the " facts in figures" quoted by the Chronicle are correctly extracted .

      But what a blow to " Tree Trade" those facts give 1 What a stunner i They fihow , most con clumvely , that its effects can only be , " to sacrifice the Farmers first ; and u then the Merchant end Manufacturer , to keep up the shadow of a Foreign trade . " 1 ! That » IT CAN BENEFIT NOBODY , except a few forei gners ; and annuitants and officeholders , THB PraCHASTAG P 0 WES 0 T WH 03 B IK 00 MES IT WILL IXCBKASE . "

      Thank you , Chronicle . Prettj fair for * beginaing J Excellent , for a first manifestation of * an improved feeUng . " Go on , good Chronicle . Pursue « w path you have thus entered upon . Evince more of this « disposition to liaten to economical teeth * » and yon will won be able " to comprehend prmcipias "; and ^ hen job Co cokpbehekd the

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      principles you have now ( perhapB by © hance ) enunciated , yo » will find that they lead to anything ^ nt the establishment of the theories of Free Travel ( Tfte facts adduwd by ihe Chronicle fully allow what has been the price at which we have purchased our present trading " prosperity . " Those foots also show that we have not much to boast of ; that we had better sing-small : or we may ohan . ee to have to Bing , in a very short time , a fat different tune . Our " prosperity ? has not any of the elements of endurabiVxly in it . It is bat a gleam . The clouds are not all chased away . A . Bhort time may Bee the sun of ** prosperity" completely shrouded from view : completely hidden behind the black darkness of utter deBpair .

      With the light afforded byfche Free-Trade Chronicle in the foregoing extract , read the following twaddle from Mother Goose : — •• Food is flow cheap , and tbade is brisk . There two facts stand in the relation to each other of cause and effect Trade 1 b brisk because food Is cheap . The great body of consumers , having less to spend on food , have more to spend on clothing and ether necessaries . Hence the makers of cloth , and cotton and linen fabrics , are now comparatively busy . Here , then , is a knock on the bead to those foolish reasonera who say that ' if the Corn Laws were abolished and food were made cheap , trade will immediately fall off ; " the fact being directly the reverse .

      " Another fact u worthy of notice . The tendency of wages is sow to rise . At Bradford and Halifax , such is the demand for labour , that a considerable advance of wages has , in many cases , been made . Tbe same is observed in Scotland , in several towns where trade is brisk . Now , be it observed , at the very time when this increase of employment , and rise of wages , have taken place , food has been falling in price Here , then , is another knock on the head to those foolish reasoners , who say that if the Corn Laws were taken off , and the prices of food lowered , wages would fall ;—tbe fact being , as in the former c&se , exactly the reverse . "

      Here Mother Goose is strangly at wax with her " leading organ , " the Chronicle . Both are Free-Tr&ders : and both assign different and distinct causes for the " briskness of trade . " " Trade is brisk , because food is cheap" Bays Goosey . " Trade i 8 brisk , because Pkel has forced our merchants to give their goods away , " says the Chronicle . Which is right 1 We vote for the Chronicle . He shows the most " improTed /«/ tno . "

      " The great body of consumers having less to spend on food , have more to spend on clothing . " So Bays Goosey . What a falsehood 1 Is it not well known that tbe reductions in wages during the last two years , are more than equivalent to the reduction in prices of food 1 How then is it possible that " the great body of consumers can have more to spend" on anything ! Have the colliers more , who are now receiving only , in many places , eightken-pence a day ? Have the spinners of Lancashire more ! Have the weavers of Lancashire more ? Have the silk-weavers more ? Have the

      frame-work knitters more f Have the linen-weavers of Barnsley more ? Have the men employed in the Iron-works n . ore ? Have the copper-makers more ? Have the woollen-workers of Yorkshire morel Have tbe men employed in the neighbourhood of Heckmondwike more ? Have the power-loom tenters of the Huddtrsfield Stabkey ' s morel Have the fancy-weavers , of the fancy district , more f And above all , and before all , have the phintbes in Mb . COBDEN'S employ at Chobllet , MORE ! Answer , Mother Goose ! And iu doing bo , mind and not give yourself another "knock on the Head , " as a "foolish reason er . "

      " The tekdkkcy of wages is to bisb . ' We are glad to hear it ! Good news it will be to those who are now jnst wageless ! We fancy however they would much rather feel tbe " hisb , " than hear of it . Have the wages of the cotton spinners , a tendency to rise ! Or the wages of the cotton weavers ; or ihe copper makers ; or the furnace-men ; or the silk-weavers ; vr the linen-weavers ; or the fancy-weavers ; or the woollen-workerB ? If they have a tendency to rise , we fear it is to rise downwards ! ! What say Mr . CobdenV printers !

      "At Bradford and Halifax , suoh is the demand for labour , that a considerable advance of wages has in many eases been made . " Very [ considerable ^ truly Something indeed to boast of J A few workers , in one department , that of wool-combing , in the towns of Bradford and Halifax , have just effected a very slender " advance" in their wages , for a time ; and this proves that the " tendency of wages is to rise . " Poor Goosey .

      There is before us at this moment a table exhibiting the prices paid for the combing of all sortB of wool , previous to the rise , and the amount ef the advance on each 6 ort . It was furnished us by the men themselves . It is accompanied by the following statement , which will shew the " Afore" that the wool-combers have gotten , even with the " rise" : — " To show tbe actual condition of tbe Woolcombers , eTenafter the advance in wages b&s been effected , we will show you what amount of labour be has to perform , sod what his weekly earnings , with incessant toll , will only amount to . We will suppose , therefore , that the

      WoelcomVar gets from tbe warehouse 64 lbs . of wool , marked , ear , long M . This bat to be washed ; then combed ; a second time washed , and combed over again . He will then have about 18 lbs . of wool to ba paid for ; the remainder being waste to the Woolcomber , These processes will lake Mm sixteen hours a day for ihe week through- THE HESWLT WILL BE , THAT FOR ALL THIS LABOUB , HE IS REMUNERATED WITH TEN SHILLINGS , EVEN AT THE ADVANCED PRICE ! It need not be wondered at , if we think that tbe masters yielded to our wishes more through tbe dread of dtspair than any sympathy with tbe condition of their slaves . "

      Rare " tendency to rise" ! Plenty of " more" ! Ten shillings a-week , for sixteen hours 11 labour each day ! What an amount to spend on " cheap food . " What did the woolcombers get , when food was DKA& 1 Can poor Goosey say ! We will wait to Bee . The Ttmesi ue . the Old Times , has also had its u song of triumph" on " otra PROsrERiTT . " That journal of Tuesday laBt is full of boast of the great " improvement" in all branches of trade . We would

      ask the vaunters of what avail is this , or any other , improvement to that portion of the working classes who toil from day break to mid-night to make profit for their taskmasters , without the means of abstracting from their wages a single farthing to add to that store -which , after a long life of toil , should be ample as a retiring salary for the overworked operative t Where is the fund out of which compensation for loss of limb is to bo awarded to the sufferer ! or out of which the widows and the

      orphans are to be compeasated for the loss of their supporter ' s life ! Does not the hostile haunt them as the only refuge for premature old age ! Is not the combination of the masters , under the double influence-of capitalists and administrators of the law , so complete , as to enable them to reduce wages to the merest existence point t Where , then , we would ask , w ihe slave ' s share of our great " commercial triumph" ?

      Amid this boast of general "improvement , " have the poor rates been diminished 1 or can they be diminished 1 Are the long Hues of our best mechanics , now turned into street-sweepers and stonecrackers , by aught reduced ! Not a bit of iu The great advantages of " improvement" arc confined to the owners of the nonoonsuming producing power ; to the foreign jobbers , who traffic with them ; and to the tax-eater . If this great" improvement in trade " is sot generally beneficial to all , of what avail is it to the working . classes ! Do the proceeds circulate equitably through all classes of society ! Have the community of shopkeepers joined in the "O , be joyfuT ' of the manufacturers ! Or , will the quarter ' s revenue , the test of consumption , evince a corresponding improvement ! We shall see .

      But if we even admit that the Times s picture was true , a perfect portrait of tbe "improved" condition of the whole nation , how long will it be before it is daubed over by the brush of the foreign artist And then , from what source are oar useless , because unemployed , operatives , artisans , and mechanics to be supported ! This , after all , is the great—the greatest consideration—the question of questions . The working men have had their halcyon days " before ; and the long and dreary Bight of " adversity " has followed their short day of " prosperity . " In the days of sudden transition , they were satisfied to

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      rise and fall with the times . They neither saw or thought of the causes which subjected them to periodical changes . They have discovered , however , that ce rtainfyms capricious , and but of short duration ; while uncertainty was sure to follow , and was of long existence . So much for the mere commercial branch of the subject : let us now direct attention to the agricultural portion . Tbis great "improvement" is in the main attributed to a succession of two good harvests . We would ask , then , ought not the farmers , in such oase , to be the loudest in

      exultation ! Has the system become so complicated and entangled as to deprive the grower of all participation in "improvement , " while his industry and capital furnish increased means for the manufacturing speculators to gamble upon in the manufacturing market ! Does Ireland , a wholly agricultural country , participate in this general "improvement" ? Have the operations of Rebecca , solely based upon agricultural distress , been relaxed in consequence of this succession of two good harvests ! Has Mr . Cobden erased one foul epithet from his agricultural vocabulary in consequence thereof ? Have the

      complaints of the English and Scotch farmers been in any wise diminished 1 Have the landlords evinced their satisfaction at this "improved" state of things ! Has the agricultural hostility to the Prime Minister , who has brought them about , been silenced , or in any degree lessened 1 No : and for this simple reason ; because the system of which he is the head and front is a system of centralization , by which the few owners of non-consuming producing power are enabled to appropriate to their own " sole use behoof and benefit , " all the resources which

      legitimately belong to all the people £ snd even he , the Miaiater , will find himself , in the midst of this " prosperous" system , like " the starving man in a cook shop . " The monoy is there : we admit it : but it is not there for his benefit , or to his account . Ten per cent additional assessed taxes will not contribute much to his Exchequer ; because each House has not its fair share of the nation ' s wealth ; and we much doubt that his Exchequer will receive any increase of Income Tax , coasequont upon the boasted "improvement of trade . "

      We have no desire to deny that more cotton is imported , that more goods are manufactured , and that the manufacturing world is just now " active ;" on the contrary , we rejoice at it ; and for this espeqial reason : ihb 00-existing POVERTr of thk PEOPLE WILL BE THE fRACTlCAL ANSWER TO THE Free Trade Malthusians . A " succession of two good harvests , " with a " brisk trade , " and " reduced provisions , " will convince the working classes that such a multiplication of advantages -having failed to confer any , the slightest , benefit upon their

      order , they must henceforth look , not to the chances of oapital for employment ; not to the manufacture of foreign cotton aB the field for the exercise of industry ; and not to the power-loom as the only implement of labour . They will look to their arms as their capital—to the Land as their labour-Said—to the spade as their working implement—and to their Charter as the means of insuring CERTAINTY , and of conferring the permanent advantage upon themselves .

      Untitled Article

      2 Gth , attempted I to prove certain statements ; and when you are accused of wilful misrepresentation , you rebut that accusation , by quoting from the Star of the 22 ad of j April !! Clever debater i Fair man I ! i But the wholej of the Mercury ' s fairness is not yet apparent . It was to our article that he took exception . Ifc was with our " words" , "idealess " at > they were , that he found fault . It was to us that he attributed the attempt to " prove the £ 300 CLEAR PROFIT , after payment of rent , taxes , and wages " . It ! was to the Editor of the Northern

      Star that he was addressing himself in his article of the 2 nd of September ; and it was the Editor of the Star that charged him with misrepresentation ; with downright jsheer invention , for the shallow purpose of replying to his own-created " absurdities " , as though they bad been ours . It was to us that he had addressed himself ; it was with us that the controversy lay . And how does the fair man ; the honest man ; the ingenuous man ' : how does he prove that the statement which he had

      attributed to us had been , as he said , made by us How does he proye that ? By quoting from a . letter written by Mr . O'Cofmoa , and signed with Mr , O'Connor ' s own name , and which appeared in the Northern Star more than four months before the artiole of ours , to which he took exception , was even thought of !! ! If this be not an honest way of getting out of a mess , commend us to one that is ! O , the virtues pf a shift ! the usefulness of a trick ! the convenience of a stretching

      conscience ! . And after the / ntrman has thus acted ; after he has thus tricked ; after he has thus dodged ; after he has done that , which a man with a spark of honour would have despised himself had the bare thought of doing it only orossed bis brain : after he has just doue this , he ( modestly says : — . 1 " We do not know that it is necessary to say another word in answer to ! the vapouring ot the Northern Star ot the 9 th instant , except that all the terms ' misstatement " , ' wilful misrepresentation , ' 'disingenuous conduct , ' && , &c , recoil , not by assertion , but by demonstration , upon the heads of those who use thfem . "

      Was ever impudence more impudent than that-on this earth ? If there were , pray what was it like ? The terms are applicable to you , and to you alone , Mr . Mercury . You have net shaken them off You have only fixed them more certainly . With the ingenious calculations the Mercury has based on the quotation from Mr . O'Connor's letter of April 22 nd , we shall not , at present , meddle . We have no need to do so . They cannot by possibility have anything to do with the question in dispute between the Mercury and us . What was written by Mr . O'Connor on the 22 ad of April cannot by possibility be made to appear as au article of ocb ' s of the 26 th of August . To that article we pin the

      Mercury . It was to that he replied ; designating it as " four columns of words with about the same number of ideas . ' ? From that we shall not at present budge . We j are not going to allow the Mercury to lead us a dance over any period of time he likes . Our dispute is a simple one . To ourselves he must confine it , if he pleases . If be is beaten , let him say eo . If he is conscious that he cannot longer maintain the controversy , unless he gets some one else to aid him , let him also say so : but till he does bo confess , he mast pardon us for not permitting him to * run from the question . " To the articles he has attacked he must reply ; and not seek to justify those attacks by quoting from others .

      We feel the Icbs called upon to examine bis calculations , so founded , because he himself gives them lip as of no moment . He distinctly says : — " Tbe issue to be decided , however , does not depend upon three or four | pounds aa acre in wages , but upon the infinitely more important question , whether any such profits as £ 70 or £ 80 an acre , wages included , can be made yearly byilnnd in general . We deny that onetenth part of that sum can be realized in ordinary years

      nnd by ordinary crops , under any system of cultivation ; nod we say that if either the rich or the poor should embark their time or their money iu laid under auy such expectations as . those held out by Mr . O'Connor and the Northern Star , they will find themselves griev ously deceived , and will be apt to throw up in disgust a pursuit , which , if followed with perseverance and with sober and welt-regulated expectations , might conduce essentially to their ! happiness and to U > a »« w « i *>«>» - perlty . " I

      Now here , for the first time , we have something tangible . For the first time is the question fairly put . For the first time has the Mercury given us a chance ot anything to reply to . The Mercury "denies that one-tenth part jot £ 70 can be realized in ordinary years , by ordinary crops , under any systeh of cultivation . " But on what does he found his denial ? Does he adduce facts t or does he disprove ! those we have adduced ! No . His bare denial is all that he essays to offer . Whether the world will consider that denial sufficient , when contrasted with the fads of other people , remains to be seen .

      On an former { occasion , on the 26 th of August last , we said that Mr . John Limton , who lives only at Selby , some nineteen miles from Leeds , had conclusively proved that be could grow upon , little more than three-fourths of an acre of land , pkooucb which would bring him in £ 57 Ss . id . after he had paid a back rent ! ; paid taxes ; paid for seed , and for wear and tear of implements . This statement we have given the figures for , under Mr . Lintok ' s own hand . The Mercury must , therefore , excuse us , if we prefer Mr . John Linton ' s hard facts , the result of actual experience ; to his soft denial . Mr .

      Linton has certainly proved tbat it is possible , with a certain " system of cultivation , " to get more than " one-tenth of £ 70 an acre , wages included . " We might be content to leave this portion of the question just where it is . The pitching of a fact against a mere assertion j an assertion unaccompanied by reasoning ; is generally thought to be sufficient . But we aro not so content . The JHercury 6 hall have more facts . And when be replies to them , we trust that he will attempt to gainsay them by something stronger than mere assertion or denial .

      Ihe fact we shall next adduce , to show that more than " one-tenth of ^ 70 can be realized from an acre of land , " is i the experience of a farmer not more than two miles from the Mercury Office door . He pursues a certain " system of cultivation" ; * and the following is what he has to say on the subject : —

      TO THE EDITOR OP TKE NORTHERN STAR . SIR , —Having be « n for eome time of opinion that the " Land" was the only resource ; the only means by which we can employ tbe labour of our machinerydisplaced population ; I have been much interested in the various accounts of experiments is farming which you have published ] from time to time in the " Star . " I have nUo read with pleasure your account of the " Potatoe" wn * which you have been carrying on with the Leeds Mercury ) I have seen his last article in the Mercury of Sept . 23 rd , in which he " settles' tbe question in the old-f&Bhioned " can't-be-done" mode ; by saying ' we deny that one-tenth part of £ 70 or £ 80 .

      ¦ wages included , can be made yearly , ia ordinary years by ordinary crops . " ] And does Mr . Baines really think that this assertion fit his will be taken as argument againBt the facts detailed by Mr . Lihton ? If so , I send you a few more such for him to " settle" in tbe same way : being jconvinced that the causes vfaich have produced frarej backs and empty bellies with gorged warehouses ; which ] have produced such an enorvvms amount of labour unemployed , while the Land it comparatively abarren \ waste for the want of ( hat labour , will very sooa be apparent to all , if the question is to have many more such «• settlers" aa tbe Mercury has attempted to give £ tl

      First , then , for «» Potatoes , " as they seem to be a standing diab . Oni Monday last I was so curious as to try bow many potatoes I had upon two drills , two feet apart , and ninety yards long ; and though I have net yet got teem to grow «• leo pounds per score yards , " I hava not the least doubt but that I shall improve , after reading the instructions for cutting , manuring , sprouting , planting , ] &c , contained in the article you copied from the Mercury . That article was a gem , which wonld save been lost to the world had you not

      dragged it to light : \ and I must thank the Mercury and yon for tbe real benefit I have received from the readin * of it From two drills ninety yards long I weighed flixty-nine stones of potatoes : which will be about 107 lb 8 , to the drill ! twenty yards long : or i 801 bs . ' to twenty square yards . This gives to the acre 2 783 stone . My crop of ipotatoes will be followed by a crop of rape , te be cut about March ar . d April npxt . j ne ground will then be sowed with Sweert tu .-Eipa . The following I calculate as the produce of the two years couree : —• '

      Untitled Article

      £ s d 1 acre of potatoes , 2783 stones , at id ... 43 r g Part tops of do . 60 days eating fo * ene $ ow 3 0 0 1 acre of rape after the potatoes ; first cutting , ia the beginning of March , next , will feed 2 Q cows 32 days ....., „ .,...,.... 32 0 0 Second catting at the end of Af til , will feed 20 cows 15 days 15 0 0 1 acre of Sweed turnips , after the rape ; tops of the Speeds , food for 20 cows , 1 days . 7 0 Q SS ^ drills , 2 feet apart , 220 yards long ; tfce . turnips 15 inches apart in the drill , will give 16 i 824 turnips averaging 5 pounds each , or about 38 tons of bulbs i these , with 1216 etones of straw , will keep 20 cows 61 days 61 0 0

      £ 161 7 g Deduct for 1216 atones of straw , at 3 d . perstone 15 4 And you have produce of 1 acre in two years £ 146 3 8 Four acres at the same rate ..... ... £ 584 15 8 Giving as the worth of produce for four acres , for one year £ 292 7 4 The potatoes I have calculated at less than I am selling . it . I now sell at eevenpence per score , of twenty-one pounds : I have calculated them at sixpence . The rape I have calculated at less than what tha best writers on agriculture give as the average produce and worth . The produce of the turnips ia from my own data . What I nave easily done , I expect to be able to do again .

      I calculate tha worth of food fora cow at one stmiing per day . My produce , actual and estimated , I have measured by that standard ; and the foregoing Is tha result . Had I only calculated the produce -when converted into milk , and sold in Leeds , as I sell mine , at 2 ^ 4 . » quart , the result would have made tbe Mercury stare But £ am free to confess tbat if I pursued " any system of cultivation , " 1 could not thus realize ; but pursuing tbe method of acting generously to tbe land , both with laboar and manure , tbe land acts profusely to * wards me . The following extract from Mr . Blacker ' a work on Small Farms , will shew that I have not over-estimated ray coming crop of rape . He s » y 3 : —

      " The immense produce of rape , when well manured , is beyond anything that can be imagined . If let et&ad until it gets into blossom , it grows to tbe height of six feet . I am almost afraid to say that I believe that witb the addition of some straw , an acre will keep thirty head of cattle in full milk for a month . " I am therefore much under the mark ; for I have calculated for two cuttings ; and Mr . Blacker says one will do nearly as much as I have set down for both . M y turnip crop is only an average one . Fifty-five tona have been grown to the acre . Trusting that you will follow up the Mercury well , I am , yours , respectfully , A . Leeds , September 27 th , 1843 .

      Now , this is from aa occupier of land just under the nose of the Mercury . He " holds" under the present M . P . for Leeds ; and we have not yet heard that he has been "liberal" enough to avail himself of the " frae" hint of the Mercury to raise hU rent ! We b&iieve he is content with the rent he gets . Let us not be misunderstood , however . We mean not to contend that it is possible to cultivate every acre of land to such a result as that of either Mr . Linton or our correspondent A . We never intended

      to do any such thing . In all that we have said , ia all that we have done , we have merely tried to show the great value of labour , when scientifically applied to the land ; and to show this , we have produced facts as to what has been done : but we well know that the result must always differ , according to local circumstances . Under all circumstances , however , we certainly do contend that it is possible , on any land , if it be land at ail , to realise yearly much more than " one-tanth of £ 70 , wages included , " by a proper and scientific ** system of cultivation . "

      The Mercury further says : — " We are glad to see tbe Chartists turning their attention to the cultivation ef the land ; it will give them an increased interest ia the tranquillity and good order of society , and make them anxious to preserve whatever is valuable in the Government and Institutions of the country . We bear that a plan was promulgated at their late Conference in Birmingham , for the purchase of 1 , 006 acres of land by this body ; on-which our principal fear is , that it will never be realised . "

      It is something to have the Mercury ' s good wishes . He is " glad the Chartists are turning their attention to the land , " He was not very " glad " < nriicu ne sneered at them for deing so ; or , if lie was , a sneer was a rather curious mode of expressing " gladness . " Has not his gladness" sprung out the position in which we have placed him , in relation to this Land question ! We have shown that ia " turning attention to the Land , " the Chartists

      have but followed the advice given then ) ! years ago , by Mr . Baines , in the report from his pen which we lately insetted in the Northern Star : and we opine that it is the appearance of that document ; that truth-telling document ; that has changes the tone of the Mercury ; and not "the plan promulgated at the late Conference at Birmingham . " Changed , at all events , that tone is . Now , be no longer sneers , but expresses " gladness . "

      He / ears that " tbe plan for the purchase of 1 , 000 acres of land will never be realised . " Let him render aid then . If he really entertains this / ear , he may do something to quiet it . He has " shares , ' * wo know , la some concerns , not as likely to realise " one-tenth of £ 70 a-year , " as an acre of land wellcultivated is : let him u invest" with the Chartists , and he will have done bis part tovr&rda getting thai

      which he now fears never will be realised . We have a right to expect , if there be any heart in this expression of "fear" and " gladness , " that every exertion will be used by the Mercury to " give the Chartists an increased interest in the tranquillity and good order of society . " It is all the Chartists desire . Give them this , and they will be content : " anxious to preserve whatever is valuable in the Government and Institutions of ihe country . "

      Untitled Article

      DEVELOPEMENT OF THE NEW " HOLY ALLIANCE . " FRANCE , SPAIN , AND IRELAND .

      WHO IS THE PROPHET 1 It was really very presumptuous in ns , not only to have made a prophecy but to have incumbered its fulfillment with so many details nevertheless we receive daily proof that we were correct not only in our prediction , but in the very means by which it is to be fulfilled . The English press allowed our bait to float for sixteen days upoa the surface , until dire necessity compelled the fish to nibble ; and since then we have had a succession of greedy bites , not only from our English contemporaries but from our brethren upon the Continent . La Presse , a French journal , very hostile to

      England , bow anticipates the enlistment of a large French force for the advancement of English policy to the great cost of France ; while the Debats , * journal devoted to the service of any ministry thafc Louis Phillppb may hononr with his countenance * deals in an unusually lengthy declaration against Daniel O'Coiwell , and the Irish Repealers . Add to these facts the ; one that Otoziax , the coadjutor of the bloody Narvaez , has left Madrid upon * secret embassy to Queen Christina and the King of the French . As we have no wish to mistake the opinions of French writers we will here set forth those portions upon which we mean to comment . La Presse says : —

      •• The resignation of our ambassador , whoever may replace him , will restore to England the ground she has lost , and make us lose all tbe advantage we bad gained ; still fortunate if we are not asked to interfere to iuoreaae our deficits , to interrupt our jrreat works , and to lend the support of our arm * to advance British policy under the plausible pretext of tbe necessity there exista of patting an end to the convulsions of tbat unfortunate country . ' * From the above we learn that the writer anticipates a deficit in the French Exohequer occasioned by the application of Freaeh funds for the payment of foreign troops to aid Englend in her foreign policy . ' ¦ ¦ ¦ " . ¦ " W '

      Now let us see what we wrote upon the 7 sh of September and published upon tbe 9 ih , Mder the head " Work of the Session . " " We and 6 ut coutempotitves hava reviewed the Ministerial work of tha paet Sesaion , according to our several political peculiarities , but more with reftTince to th 6 disappointment created at home , than with reference to its e&ct abruad . If the Tory Ministry baa

      The Northern Star. Saturday, September So, 1843.

      THE NORTHERN STAR . SATURDAY , SEPTEMBER SO , 1843 .

      Untitled Article

      THE LEEDS MERCURY AND HIS " BUBBLE . " Oe all the turning , twisting , slippery , eel-like opponents that any one ever engaged with , surely the Leeds Mercury is the most tortuous and the most disingenuous I He is-indeed " cunning offence " : a regular trickster in debate . In tbe Northern Star of August 26 th , 1843 , we had , an article on the Land question , founded on 6 statement of the doings pf Mr . Linton , of Selby ^ for the present year , 1843 . In the course of that artiole , we noticed a controversy that Mr .

      O'Conhob had formerly had with the Leeds Mercury ; and again adduced Mr . O ' Connor ' s triumphant answer to the sneer with which his inferences from actual fact had been met by the * profound political economist" of the Mercury . ; that answer containing , from the Leeds Mercury itself , statements of doings on the Land , which left Mr . Linton ' s far in the shade . We made a little merry on the occasion ,- and concluded by stating that in another article we should prove , from Mr . Baines himself ,

      that " the Land , the Sou , was our last and only resource , " as a remedial measure for the many evils inflicted upon us by the labour-displaying operations of machinery : that Mr . Batnbs had himself , long ago , seen that ' * there was no help , no employ , BUT IN THE SOIL . " In the Mercury of the succeeding week , i . e . the 2 nd of September , this article of our ' s drew forth from the " profound political economist , " a leader , which opened thus : —

      " The Land Bu bblb ., —In the Northern Star of last Saturday , we find four columns of words , with about the same number of ideas , to prove that farmers of four acres ef land may , by the skilful management of their forma , ; realto a profit of £ 300 a-year , after paying their tents , taxes , and wages ! !!" Oa the latter portion of his assertion we joined issue with him . We den ted that we had attempted to prove any such thing as that " a profit of £ 300 could be made from four acres , after paying rents , taxes , and WAGES . " We stated that it was not possible for him to have drawn such a statement

      from our " words ; " that it was a purely false and groundless assumption ; an assumption made too ( under such circumstances as precluded its being attributable to mistake or accident : for we had more than once in the course of the article he pretended to be replying to , distinctly set forth that the £ 300 was the " betubn FOR LABOUR , after rent taxes , seed , and wear and tear of implements had been paid for ; " that in fact , the £ 300 was THE wages : not" CLEAR PROFIT" after wages had

      been paid , as the Mercury in aaother portion of his 2 ad of September article asserted . We put it to himself , whether he bad not being practising " gross delusion" upon the public , in putting forth such a statement as if it was ours ; and then reasoning on that statement , and on that statement only , for the purpose of exposing its " absurdity . " We further desired him to explain how the mis-statement had happened ; to meet the question fairly , allowing us to state our own case , and not tax his powers of invention to misrepresent .

      Now it was the article in the Star of August 26 tb , the" wordy" article with enly "four ideas" in it , that the Mercury said had attempted " to prove that farmers of four acres might , by the skilful management of their farms , realize a profit of £ 300 a-y car , after payment of rents , taxes and wages . " It was to that article , and to that article alone , that his assertion applied . It was that article , and that artiole aiono , that we charged him with wilfully misrepresenting : for a 3 we Bhewed him , the misrepresentation could not be accidental . It was to the statements in that article that we invited him to turn his attention , aud combat fairly ; offering , if he would do so , " to tubsle the matter with him . "

      The strong case of glaring wilful misrepresentation that we made out , would not allow tho Mercury to shy off . He felt himself conviotod before the public of a very dirty trick , unless he could manage to wriggle out of the mess . To leave it where it was , would be damning . Some attempt must be made ; and accordingly iu last week ' s paper we had it . He took a fortnight to consider on the matter ; giving a week ' s noiico that he would have " something more to say . " And , accordingly , on Saturday last we had it .

      And . how does the reader imagine that he met the charge of misrepresentation ? How does he imagine that the Mercury proves the correctness of his assertion , that the Northern Star of the 26 th of August , had attempted to show th * t a "PROFIT of £ 300 , after payment of rent , taxes , and wages , " could ba realized from four acres of land ? How does the reader think that he " jproves" this ? Why , by quoting from the Northern Star of the 22 nd of April last !! I ! Slippery Mercury I Twisting Mercury ! Tricky Mercury !! You asserted that the "four columns of words" in the Northern Star , of August

      Untitled Article

      4 THE NORTHERN STAR , I = _____ ====== _______ - *

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Sept. 30, 1843, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct670/page/4/