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THE NORTHERN STAR. SATURDAY, AUGUST 17.
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GRATULATION AND CONGRATU
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THE IRISH MISSION
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TO READERS & CORRESPONDEDT8
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BA&jrSUBY-.
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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The Northern Star. Saturday, August 17.
THE NORTHERN STAR . SATURDAY , AUGUST 17 .
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AGREEMENT OF OPINION . fes the count and iiMihxrg * of enr cwi «« tr » paWic meaiten , wt pay little neferenc * to U » f iaiojM or-example * « f any when contrary to « v « B * ra eoimetioM of right : we pin our faith , to the -dbsere of do man or Mt * f Ben . Bat wt are Mvtr-¦ ¦ & e& £ M , alw * y * glad to £ » d hoaettly and fearltatly—¦< f rigwad rrnfirwBfo bora * oat by die corresponding -aeatxneats ef bonert , bold , xni goai men . Per tii * KSMS we blTft grtit pJaa »*» 1 b directing the attieatioa of oar readers t * the following spirited ardeie from the Water * Ym&caUr , a tainted juper , edited ,-we * elier » , by Yincswt : —
" THE COMING STRUGGLE . ** FE 6 fUB , —Th » time for talking ia . pa « i ; " the s « efor « dtMiiKim «; and it u now Uie doty of mterf mia , woman , sod child to reflect , in secret , -ajjoa the power p <* W *« d by the people to carry oat -die principle * of Democratic Government ; the time Sum cozae lor dee ^ lj reflecting os the power po * - wceatsd by the xmaa * M to carry oat the recommenda-£ aes » f tfceConvaotion ; the time hat come when , tar a bold and energetic display on the part of the
propkstlia power of the anetoerMy maybe tie ** ¦ XXQfroi for erer . Th « £ wt datr of the people i * to c * nyT > at the MANIFESTO of the Conyenrion . It w ia rain to make * mpty professions ; it is ia vain to - * * k « aieo , ' or k talk' , 4 Ae people mutt DO . The C * Hwen . tion h « rejgMtoda NATIONAL STRIKE , x » eommence on tho 22 ih of Aupwt ; but utdet * the &efi £ e prov * , bv their general conduct , to carry t > nt tie ORDERS " of die CONVENTION , that strik * auut fail . B # fore mentioni&i : the ** Sacred Month , " let a * ask the following questionjs : —
- "ARE ALL THE CHARTISTS ORGAN 1 ZED ? « I > 0 ALL THE CHARTISTS ABSTAIN FROM THE USE Of EXCISEABLE ARSSCLES ? 44 HAVE ALL THE CHARTISTS WITH-5 HLWW * THEIR . MOKEY FROM THE Sa-^* 7 D » G S' BANKS ?
* HAVE THE CHARTIST 3 CONVERTED . ALL THEIR PAPER MONEY INTO GOLD ? ** These questions » n » t be anrwered honestly by ¦ fee people ; henoe the practicability of the ** Sacred Aionth" depends in a gr . ^ at znearore , npon the « o « wer . We are in faronr of the " Sacred Month , " i / the people are " ready . " The Convention has s » blj dischaiged its fixity to the people ; it has expressed its readines * to place itself at tbe head of die people , aad at the pott of danger ; there / ore it as aow the duty of the peopU to tell the Convention xLei they arepreparedto osrrjr out . The best mode of coaTincJDg the Conrendon of the readiness of the people to caxry out their wishes .
it the immediate and universal advption of the MvttfesiQ ; it is otelwi for the people to talk akont ^ ra » t iney will do on ihe 12 ih Aagaat with regard to Che ** Hsiiday ; " we fearlessly tail the people , that abstaining from ercvftable articles ; taking their awteg out of Saving * ' Banks ; and presiding Mraj . -tdLes * icith coash ! uizonal aruu , -tire let * tacrifices tkjoj . the holidays therefore let the people make the / f ^ t <^ r sacrifice & * an earnest of their determination Xo sake tbe greater ene . Prore yourselves , people ! The bu who u now degrad *« i enough to be a < imakini ajiut become soberiz "d ; otherwiee he wiU he a broken reed in the hour ol necessity . _ The nun who will not throw down hi » pipe , and si p hi * heiaxed milk and water , eiTei bat poor evidence o :
JsU ancerity a * a Chartist . We insist that it i * noic -the duly of the people to act ; and we call npon ail reader * of this paper ; upon all who lor » freedom ; 3 pea all who respect Mr . Vincent , and have so oiten I ^ ie-ed to his t hrilling eloquenos ; we call upon -every patriotic man . woman and child to rigidlj xUolx die CONVENTION'S MANIFESTO . "r * eopl ? , if yoa are prepared to carry ont the National Holiday , you are free . A week ' s suspension £ rom laboar would destroy the power of oppr ? k « od ; btrt it will essentially invohe a slight sacritiee—PfiOVE TOCB nCTESJilXlTION TO UXS . Z TEAT 8 ACRIrtc e , ^ rove your determination to undergo a Jitde -difficulty tD ' brmg about a national good . v For a natioa to ba free , ' tis sof&cient that she wills it . ' Sat trill it she must .
*~ People , —Cease to talk , act . become bobeb—do all in jour power to band your ** Lve * indissolubly together ; ( fiLik deeply about the 'Sacrbd Month . ' lfyoaresolv . jtojwic . pt it , tell the Co > ventios ! if job c&anot adopt it , « ui TfXL the Comemius . Dj not let us &'ce ;* e one another . The ' 5 * cr ^ d Month , ' if solesialv adopted , will free you for ever ! « Thiot about it . The power ia now ia your h <» nd « , use ~ W DESPOTISM TREMBLES ' . PEOPLE , STRIKE THE MORAL BLOW !" This nervous asd well-written article reiterates dw seadnenlR w have ag * in and again expressed < b . th 2 saae subjects . Unless tbe people do # hew tkeBLKlvts able and willing to perform the lesser libooj j it is nsadnesa to ulk about the greater .
STAMP BETUB 3 S ' : 'A return has been pnblished of the number of Scaa ^ j fomished to the seTeral Newspaper * within die msttbs of April , Mar , and June . Yfe have selected from tbe List the « o « t extensively sBrealated of ti » e L « ndoD Ba . ily » 4 " 9 Tetk \ j Press , and tbe Leeds Papers , as affording to out readers an opportunity of ascertaining with certainty the exact poriiios in whiefe their favour vsA the force of honest political coaswtency has siaeed the people ' s pa-pw , the JKortktrn Star .
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Daily Papers . St » mp » fnnisicd io I Daiy lb » three month * . k-reixe . TheTimw 1 , 090 . 000 ; 3 . 97 < limta * Chroniae } & > , <** 6 .-9 i iJaminrr Uisrald - 45 i , « 09 - &S 3 TaVsS 32 i . oen * . m Tie S- « ia « d 2 M 009 S . S >* Morwnj Pott *?* »* f ^ J TteG . ube 23 > , 0 o 0 3 OM Weekly Pafers . Sump * firuU ^ ei in w «« Wj tli » Hint jDontii * . Avenge . -WeeVh- Dif ?* teh 650 . 000 W . ooo 3 » OSTHER ? f STJJB . ~ - iG , & 0 42 , Q , < 2 Ssa ^ .:::::::::: fS 2 t :.:::::: "* £% && ?! .:: ¦ -::: U . SS :::::::: f « S
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From the abore table , it wiU be seeB that the JSTorfAern Siar net only maintains its position at tfee head of the Provincial Press , but that , with soe single exception , it is the leading organ of she empire . It issues a greater number at each ¦ -period of publication than all the above Paily Papers put together . Its respective issues are nearly se > en-fold greater than those of tbe Mornlag Chronicle , and more than fourteen-fold greater -chaa thwe of the Gioix , the two official organs of the Givercmeac !
Its circulation greatly exceeds the whole circufcickm ef aaj Daily Paper b + sides The Time * . Among Weekly Papers , it is second only to the Weekly . D ' spatch . It has nearly double the circaiation of the Weekly Chronicle , and consider-Ably more than four times that of the Leeds Mersurg . It cirenlites about thirte # n times the n * miser of the Leeds I / UelUgencer , and almost threesad-twenty times the aajoaut of tbe Z > eedt Times . This is a position which may well make tbe ^ Kerthern Star an object of fear and trembling to ail the enemies ef riahteousnsis .
To him who looks attentively at tins position , attained in an incredibly sliert period , and steadily ^ iept tip , without * av &rti £ ee or sacrifice , by tbe -Widest and most Democratic paper ever known in . this country , it will be no matter of surprise that a -Cabinet Minister should be required , as a portiau of 'iis « fficial duty , to read the Northern Star care-•¦ fallj through every week , and report its content * to bis colleagues ; nor that the minions ef Geverncaeau , sedeg no doubt ia accordance with the cce swhieb had been given thsm , should point out so
obaoxieusly powerful an eneay to the whole race i ^ til-doers as a fit object en vrhick to coneeutr&i r * &eir powers of annihilating wrath—an obj « ctwhoi t ^ estraedon would be cheaply purchased at ax eott enn though new laws should rtquire to 1 « aactedfw tbe purpose . The power of ihe Svrihei Star to concentrate aad gire effect to the opinio ; « f the maJKe—to assert their rights , and to de « ith the oppressor is the grand secret of the re •^ Mh « ml" speech of Mr . Chaelss Bcllkr a U a ^ ti ag « i » the H « ue af Comaoaa .
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" H « agrM * wita Mr . Home , th * t Portivntnt teeuld Aw dtmt hut m null fart » f it * duty * h * n it had provided tk » ii it i ef putting day-a . Uu prtierU t&tlvi + ancei . H « mn the folUct « f Um CbATttsts , and h # apprehesaed no Wtinf mii-« Kief from » moresuat m Dl-diircted » nd iUeoodocted as tbe prvaMt . Bat the ixiirtr . whiek 1 m iii met apprelUDJ fnm . Ckftrtiaa , ) m iid »? 5 > rek « nd from t& « can ** » f Char . ita , waka iwtafrd t * him to be penaiaeat , a « a to be iniertnt ia tiu altered tteto » f Meietr , * o& rh * r % rtuw of tb « Kagtinh » ropU . Thirmmst set « bat their err * t » th « fftet , that Uter SkM asw to amI witK k p « opk far irtbor « ri » e diaeoatMiwtd , aad far stfecrwiae «« Mble « fsiHifettiaf that dUeoateat , tl «* n to
pnvMM C ^ rerKBcata a » v * rrer h * d cope irita . Tb » y w « rt b « w & «« to ttm with tb » firtt ( toarstioe of wofkinx men ia Kaglaad •« wh ©« da «* tioB h * d began to tell M * My f ««« r » Ilr . Ta « fint tfiacta » f tbii « i * age augbt be ot >« err » i ia th « rise f a w * m * ddr *« ted to « ad smppettftd br tt » werkiajc elasw * . FonUrly Cofcfcttt wr » i » mettr nm ^ , and otber ieiM . itfM wrote ¦ M—ieiti pMiphieU , which h * A a . Urgt , bat tempenzj eimUtioB fc » d « Se « t . Bat BOW , then U «•<*• btithad aa uaneBM we « Uy y »«« , veatainiafc U »« « . ibb Mtnoh ^^ . A # - * .. a ^ bb a ^ ^ kM .. nii . m ^ ki « h tft ^ 4 r » aaa Ka
ri « w « f Ma ^ Uff M «« ntA * M from Mt akd of tb * biud to the tie * . Ta » it prem , » at oee * ai « aal « Wt p * rm * o «» t—not drpradMU oe tke ptpokrity rf partie » l * r wrktr , or Um ea-PMiiton fry wai « & t& « eadioBMai of a partuoU' ta&nda&l « rbrfT « f » n prw it * protect | trktsito «» eircaWiwi , bat a the anarwr laantireaaaa « f that yarttealax kiod cpT preat , ksd aa tL * « eBarsl&pp « uie for news . Tail ia the Wjfert , asd it is , vlth twa ar thraa ezaaptMU , t k * nnt loentire p « -imE «« U » J . .. . Uthu preaa , th «* advoeatutiC thts * eaetnnet , ia « ie « ot » on »» e « of Omm doatriaet to th » apint at m » g » , aad ta Um ksfitriag af ib * mmr , i » the pcrauual aowee of CtiarUin * .
New ther * is na difficulty in seeing that tbe drift ef this portion ef Mr . Bcller ' s speech is iattcded , under preteooe « f directing ctteodoR to " the altered atat « and condition of Society , " to poiat oat the Northern Star as game that most be run down at all hazards . The good will of Government to break it up open asy , the slightest pretext that could be laid hold of ba « been as amply manifetted as could be wished in the two precious Government prosecutions which
ia the person * of it * proprietor and pubiisber it has already e&dared . The troth is they are " dead beat , "—their limVs triable and their mouths water with anxiety and vexation , asd they know not how to accomplish the object ef their desire . Many as are th « devices of tbe law—uatcrupulous as are Whig functionaries in its casstruction amd application , xod rampant as they evidently are to " hug « d is the close embrace" of powen ' al and successful viilany , we smile at their ingenuity and deride their
ispolence . Hence the concerted hint of tbeir sub-subaltern , that " ParHamtnt would have dont but a small part of its duty , " until it had provided the means not how in existence of putting down the Northern Siar . Let Parliament accomplish that " dutj " whenever it jsleasec . We defy it * power . The spirit of liberty has gone forth , aad , like the dove let loose the third time from the ark . it will return
no more to its prusn hou * e . If the Northern Star were ruined by proseoutionj , » od ice conductors immolated to the madness of political revtnge tomorrow , from its ruint would spring up an organ , or majhap a hundred , more talented , mare powerful , aad more annovipg to tbe harpies than the one they had succeeded is destroying . There is one sentt-ace in BtJLLER's speech worth all the rest , which is that the Democratic press , of which the he&d and front is the Northern Star , does not now depend on the talent or popularity of any particular writer . It in the legitimate offspring of the working
classes , who , knowing their own wants , feeling tbeir own burdens , and being aware of the grievances under which they laboer , nrininter support onlj to that pre >« wiucL maintains tbeir cause . Their caust ij the cause cf righteousness -the cause of God . That cause we have ever yet maiatained with such power as we possess , and with a zeal equal to that of any who lose no : sight of prudence . H » uct ; the secret of the success which has crowned onr enterprisewhich has made the establishment of the Northern Star an epoch in the hintory of newspaper literature . " The battle i * not to the swift ; nor the race to the strong . " 'Iis not because of any peculiar advantages either of talent or circumstances to
which we can iaj claim indi \ iduailj , that we owe the unequalled political influence of our paper ; it is simply becasie we b » ve faithfully " held up the minor to the times , " and given utterance to the truth . We bvre not sought the advancement of either personal or party interest ; but we hsre laboured for the do ^ nfal of tyranny , th « uprooting of injustice , and the ebtabiisnment of right . Pursuing this , we have met with the reward which we hai aright to look for—tbe reward which , if snatched from us , by tbe tand of public injustice aad legal robbery , to-morrow , will be awarded in > tiii further tale to some new adveaturer who shall dire , despite of villanj , to « peak the truth .
Let not , then , either Government or Parliament , or both , reckoa on the iuue of patting dowu iht Sufthern Siar . We see the drawn dagger in their hand , ba ? we defy its point . To them and their supporters of both faction ? , who jwirsist in deujing to the people the redre ** &l of their wrongs and restitution of their rights , we o ^ re nothing but that which , by God ' s help , we will pay , to the full extent of oar ability , an hostility which shall never cea * e but with our lives , er with the deduction of the gvstem which has enabled them
to become the villains that thej ire . To the people , by wfeom we have batn placed in the proud position vrhieh we occupy , we owe just as much aa they owe us , and no more . We have doce onr duty in the as . ertion of their rights—they have dose their duty in giving effrct to that assertion . By God ' s help , aDO theirs , we shall go forward—till oppression sha . ll jet learn to hide its head for shame , and the glorious rua of freedom shall warm and animate , enliven and illuminate , the whole land .
THE LEEDS MERCURY AND MR . JAMEi IBBETSON . We had prepared an article on the rigmarole sophistry of our neighbour Mercury addressed to Mb . Ibbetso . s , but are obliged to displace it fer other matter . We are not much concerned , as it may afford us da opporcuaity of seeing whether there is yet another "letter" in the editorial candle .
MR . STLPHENS'S TRIAL . We have waited till the last moment of going to pres ? , but have received no intelligence , except that the day of trial has been altered to this day ( Thursday ) or Friday—we know noi which . ¦ "We » hall , therefore , give tbe report at full length in our next .
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WILFUL MISTAKES . It is an old proverb that " none are so blind as those who won ' t see . " In tbe true spirit of this proverb , none are so apt at misunderstanding anything a-i tho ^ e who winh to do so . We are not less amused than astonished to learn that an article ifl our last week's Paper has been made the means of trying to persuade those who don ' t know us that we advocate the Ballot .
Ia onr article of last week , headed The Punch and Judy Session , we arraigned Lord John Russell upon his reasons assigned at Bristol for opposing the Ballot , namely , that the non-electors would be thereby deprived of their legitimate influence over the tleetors , we then went on to show that the same Lord Johx had , when the people were , in the
exi ' ercise of that legitimate right , imprisoned , blud' geoned , cat down , a-ad trampled upon them . This . we charged , aad still charge , upon the Noble Lord j as an incensi * teney , disentitling him to any amount ! of popular « onfidence ; aad for thus arraigning little ; Lord John , we are asked why we support the Ball » t ? and inasmuch as Mr . 0 'CoKKoa must , of o ** r > e , answer for all tie sia * of the Star , whether
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be commit them er net , a few well-informed " elearheaded n * cali" * . onld endeavour to persuade the people , and etpeoially-those of Birmingham , that O'Conmob has declared in favour of the Ballot The feols 1 Where art their spectacle * P In wnat single line of the article do they find any recognition of the Ballot principle eoapled with a restricted frauchite P Ob what single line of the Northern Star , or
oa what single wntenoe of Mr . O'Connor ' s numerous speeches can such a charge be founded f We defy them t » point out one . The article of last week hadxo reference whatever to oor opinion * , but to the consistency or inconsistency of Lot * John Russkll ' 6 practical , with his ti ** retical , policy . Tbe enemy mu » t be put to sad shift * when he stoops to a device like this I
Gratulation And Congratu
GRATULATION AND CONGRATU
LATION . Thk Weekly CArwucu , poor thing ! in it » agony of spiteful wy , induced by the Bump Returns , catches at the small raj of comfort contained in the fact that , on the fact of the Returut , the number •( Stamps funished to tu ia the two latter month * of the Quarter seem to have been less than in the preceding month ; and this he argues to b « "consolatory" proof that our Circulation is declining . Poor fellow hew we pity him ! It always gives us pain to be obliged to pull the mask from an ugly face ; but where the feat » reg sit under it so uncomfortably , it is an act of charity .
If monthly rapplieB from tke Stamp Office be held to demonstrate the Monthly Circulation , we suspect the Chrtnkle , m near the Stamp Depot , thought it better t » let out tbe secret ia reference to at , than to allow the public to "discover it in referenoe to himself . Let us try the Weekly Chronicle by hu own rule . Ia May , a a four weekj' month—he kmm to have had 104 , 000 Sumps , but in June , a five weeks ' month ; that is , a month ia which there are five Sandayt , and in which , therefore , five Weekly Chronicle * would
appear he seems only to have had SO , 000 which would give an average of 26 , 060 weekly for May , but of only 18 , 000 weekly for June . Will the Chronicle like this mode of measurement ? We fancy not ; nor have we any wieh to confine him to it . He know * a * well as we do that tbe Stamps are i * med from the Depot—not to us , but to tot paper manufacturer , who get * them in quantities to suit his owb convenience : so that though the
Stamp Return does exhibit the actual number of stamps issued to each paper during a gives period , it doe « not alway * correctly show the monthly proportions of the grow amount , and he wilt probably find it somewhat " consolatory " to learn , which he may , on application to Meiirti . His-ton and Co ., oar paper makkr * , that our supply for the two last months of this declining quarter , baft b « efl nearly equal to the whole of the last quarter .
The Irish Mission
THE IRISH MISSION
Oar readers are aware that , in consequence of a communication from our brethren in Dublin , th * Council of tbe CoBT « ntion sent Mr . Lowry and another Delegate as Missionaries to Ireland , to endeavour to establish a union of sentiment and action between the Chartists of both countries ; ani we are happy to Hate that Utte r * have been r «~ ceived from Mr . Lowry , containing the raog :
cheering account of their reception in the- Irish capital , and a well-foundel hope that by perseverance the opprexeed , insulted , aad degraded serf * of tbe Abttenteeo and Arintoeracy of that unfortunate oounrry will te broaghtto a sense . of their true interest , and join band and heart wiii their brethren on this side the channel in the grand effort to recover the long Irwt rights of both .
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THE DKVIL GOVERNMENT . "The worst we know ef the Devil is that he first proaipts to crime , and the a betray g to p-nidhm « nt . " TJjm observation was applied , by aa excellent writer , to a character which concentered ia itself no small amount of b ^ eaess . Strong , however , as the expression is , it u inadequate fulU to pourtray the baseness of the wretches by whom the more though dew and inconsiderate among , the suffering people are goaded to distraction , and bludgeoned into crime ; and who then , with truly
DeviJ-iike atrocity , sot merely betray to punishment , but themselves inflict the punishment upon their h&pkag victim * j gloating with hideou * satisfaction ope * their murderous pastime . Such hi precisely the position in which we contemplate them at present in reference to the three unfortunate men kft far execution at Warwick , for the crime ot suffering themselves to be made the dupes of a malignant and blood-thirsty faction ,, who hope , by tbe pouring out of their blood , and that of a few other like simple inuoceate , to quench the mighty fire , which , naming through the land , threa-tena the stubble of oppression and ia-JHstice with irretrievable destruction .
All reflection upon the subject , and every incident which has xince transpired , confirms us more strongly in tbe conviction , which at the time forced itself upon u « , that the riots and fires of Birmingham vrere no accidental outbreak , bat a deliberately concocted conspiracy againct the people , planned and executed for tbe purpose of making a pretext on which to call into exercise brute force and shameless
villany under the sacred garb and colouring of lpgal and constitutional procedure . Tbe villains knew thai the Charter , which is the day-star of hope to the millions , would be the death-warrant of their multifarious modes of plunder . Th « struggle was perceived to be for life , and hence the Charter and its supporters were relentlessly doomed to immolation , even though blood , and that too of the innocent , should deluge the whole country .
The plot has ro far succeeded as that three -unfortuaatee are within their toils ; and the merciless Whig press is exulting over the approaching execution aa if it were a thing for -which the btU * of the several churches should be set ringing , and the thanks of tne congregations iaside officially offered by the priest * . And why this rejoicing at the thought of three fellow-morUls being prematurely hurried out of time ? Because we are told that the whining hypocrites
" trust that their awful fate will be a warning tn oihers . " So says the villauous fool who has been stupid enough to perpetuate an article upon the gubject ia the Liverpool Times of the curreut week ; in one seBtence of which the men are deseribtd as " unstained by crime , " and another sentence of which lay * , " tbe execution of these unfortunate and guilty men will , we trust , act as a warning . " Tbe scoundrel goes on to say : —
" Tkeir death lie * at the door of tbe National Convention , b ? which body they bave been Inrea to deatruction , and a * much murdered aa iT they had fallen under the daggers of the wretchea who compose it They were ia tke very fljwer of tbeir stre , unstained by crime , and might in all probability have p * 5 » ed long a&d oaefol Urea , bad it not been for the in-• tig * u *< u of the villains wbo goaded them on to . outrage , and then abandoned tbera to destruction . " Now what proof does this villain adduce of the grave
crime of murder which he here charges upon the Convention ? What evidence does be offer to substantiate this horrible accusation ? Not one jot . Like hi * whole tribe of brother rascals , be contents himself with asseverating what he knows to be a lie , in the hope that he may cause "» ore murders yet te follow after thk . " This has been the conduct of the whole press , both Vfhig and Tory , duriDg the whole period that has elapsed since these villanous riots were effected . The riaters have never been otawwis * » poken of
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¦ t — -. — ... - . - » t r * - r -vtttJ i' « | -rrna » —ri » i iii . m than as Chartists y wtaeft it was known to all the world that tbe Chartist * bad n « mere to do with the riots than had the man in the moon , and that the only part taken by them , in tbe di « torbanc « s of Birmingham , was the exartiog of themMlvM to the uttermost to still the outrage * whieh the magistrate * and the infamous middle class faction had begun . Not a particle of evidence , direct or by induction , has any one of them adduced to show that the Con * vention as a body , or any » f ita members
individually , « r any Chartiat whatever , took any part in the riot * of the Hta of July ; aad yat the wretched scamp who write * the Liierpotl Tiitm ohirgei the outrage , for whioh them men are wnjuitly condemned to suffer , upon tha Conrandoa ! We say unjustly eendemned to suffer , because it u as « lear * maxim of British law as it is an axiom of eommoa honesty that a man ought not to be accused of one crime i » order te his being puaished fer another ; much lesa ought any man to be puawhed , not for bis own crimes specifically , but for taoie of others , or Iwt other * shoald become
gailty . Yet thU is the ground upon which the execution of these men is justified by the press . It is necesftary forsooth thats warning » hould be given ! Whom would the wr « tch « i warn by thin legal murder f the Chartists f They need no such warning , for they had nothing to do with the offence into which these unfortunate m-m were deeoyed ; nor with the horrible treaohery by vrhieh they are sacrificed . Would they warn the victims of their owe infernal villany ? If sincere , why not render the warning unnecessary why not cease to practice on the unwary and to lead innocent men to death ? Would they warn the working damea generally f Tke
working classes laugh at their simplicity . They have no desire for the destruction of property , — property which they themselves have brought into existence . They will never lift the torch , ia defence or in despair , unit s * driven to it by the insanity of the executive , exhibited in a succesaioa of such " waraiags" as thin threatened execution and the circunntancea out of which it arose . So far then as the warning is concerned , no practically useful purpose could be accomplished thereby : if that , therefore , be the object for which tne men were condemned , they were not merely unjustly but foolishlycondemned .
Bat they vrere unjustly condemned , because they had no fair chance nor opportunity » f defence afforded them . They were committed not fer a felony bat for a mUdctneauour , and kad no idea of the nature ot the * charge to be browght againnt them until tbe moment of their appearance ia the dock . The proaecotion , of course , knew tbe coarse of proceeding they intended to adopt , but they gave
bo intimation of that course to their victisut , they were allowed to solace themselves with the idea that should the worst come to the worst , being only charged with a misdemeanour , a f « w mouths' imprisonment wa » all they had to look to . Thi # waf , of ceurse , calcolated to make them Bad their friends more rersaisa in preparing for tbeir defence than they might have been , had they been aware that their lives were aimed at .
Gracious Hearens ! hosr noble a toiaiaph did a powerful Government achieve ! how gratifying roast it buve been to the ingenuity aad legal tact of the- Attornby-Genebal to- have witnessed the amazement and the horrer of three simple , uneducated , and very poor mea at Sading thetnuelvett standing with a halter round their u ekg and unabla , from the address with which they had been mwrounded by the murdereiw tori * to make even that small effort for escape which the service of a legal adviser might have
afforded , and with which the humanity of tbe country would daubtleHg have provided ihem had not the aseassin-Hke caution of the fell pr 0 t * € 9 UtorM .-oacealed their purpose until the fatal spring wag made ! Poor , ri » ey had bo means of defending ; hemaelve < i ; the jharge against them being trivial compared with many who had to be defended : by . the public , their caoe had been partially overlooked ; abundance of witnesses were in readiness be prove their innocence ,, but owing of their own order , they
were ait too poor to lose their expencea and their time , while th * prisoners were too poor to . pay the expenses . Yet these were the circumstance * under which the Attorn by-General of a mighty Government thought proper to astonish these poor men , in a m-xnent , with the information ! that the charge of nu ^ demeanor was trauamuttid into a charge of capital felony ; that they were ia&taatly t » answer for their lives to the allegations of witneaseH wkh whose depositions they were unacquainted .
Having been committed within the period of twenty day * from the assize ? , they , had a right te traverse , that i- « , to postpone thmr trials till another year , when it might be expected that the . excitement of public feeling would hare ,, in some measuie , sabdided , so ax to afford a better hope of their being tried by a dispassionate aad clear-headed Jury , the poor m « n «; eiB to have been ignorant of this , to them , favourable circumstance ; they had no counsel to advise with ; and , for anything that appears from our report , the u liberal" Attorney-General put them on their tiia ) , the Judge permitting him to do so , wi . ho . ut informing them of the privilege to which they were entitled .
They were convicted « d evidence upon which no respectable man would hang a dog . One ol the prinoipal witnesses against them is a ruffian , a prize-fighter of notoriously bad character , whose evidence in another case wts discredited by the Jury . And yet , though this wan the Hort of evidence on which hid c < mb rested ; though he knew that the unfortunate prisonera were taken by surprise , and were undefended : though he had heard the
heartrending declaration of Robkkts , that he had plenty of witnesses who could prove his absence from the scene « f riet , but was too poor to bring them to Warwick ; the ATTORNKV-GiNKRAL , in full keeping with his " Liberal" character , and that of the despicable Government wh > ae vile tool he is , meanly condescended to use hi * privilege of reply , in order t > . at a last effort might not be wanting to bias the Jury against the selected victims of his master ? .
It is a most unusual thing in Criminal Courts , when a felon is undefended , for the prosecuting Counsel to reply ; but the Attokney-Gener&l of a Whig Government , in a crusade against popular liberty , can afford to lose no advantage . These men were doomed to be exhibited as scarecrows to the country . They might be innocent That was a matter of small consequence . They were poor and friendless , and therefore fit to furnish what the fiend of the Liverpool Times calls " a terrible proof of the power of the law * . "
Had these men being guilty of the riot charged against them , and of mach greater crimes in connection therewith , the paniuhment of these Crimea would have been eminently due , not to there , but to the fiends by whom they had been entrapped , urged en , and sacrificed ; the very fiends by whom , in reality if not in same and appearance , at whese instigation , and for whose benefit , they wer »
prosecuted—the fiends who planned the riot , who have planned an abundance of other riots , and whe in divers parts of the country , are now leaving no stone unturned to goad on the people to like ill-considered act * of violence , in order that their thirst for blo » d may be satiated , and the throne of their domination established upon the aontinned plunder and increased slavery of th « people .
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There I > , however , every reason to Believe , that these individual men , or at least two of them , are as perfectly innocent a » , to render perfect a Whig sacrifice to Liberalism , it ia requisite they should be . The Birmingham oorreapandent of the Times tell as that"A ewe has been aeat ap to L « rd John Raasell which prorM beyond all doubt , if toe affidavit * of tba deponents are t « ba believed , that ao far from taking say part in th « riota oh
tkeniffttofthelSui , he ( H » w « ll ) irwat the tm » a considerable diitanea from tb « apot . There are eight mtaeut * « o « r forthcoming wh « « wear , in th « first place , that Howell wa * not ia tk « Ball Itiug aaOw might in question ; snd . intko second , that tha man with one leg , who actually took part in the riou , mi a different peraoD . Ten witneMea hove bIjo now come forward to aetabliab , an aiibi on the part of Roberta . " The Correspondent of tke Morning Chronicle confirm * the statement .
The TV **?* Correspondent Hays—** It is strange , that oat of these eighteen witnesses on b * h «} f el the prisoners , not on * tendered hu evidence at the trial at Warwick . " The strangers * ranishes at once when it it known that three of the witnesses for Howell , two of them his brothers , were actually in Warwick at the beginning of the Assizes , bat thai being poor men , without the means of subsistence in a strange place , and he haviag no means of irastiiniDg them , they were compelled , by sheer prverty , on his trial being podtponod for two or three days , to leave hiia to his fate . Roberts obviated this surprise by telling the Court , —
tv Where Justice , not unmixed with Mercy " ever should preside , that he had plesty of witnesses butwai tooptor to bring them . A Court of savages would ha \ e been moved with pity at such a declaration , nor da we believe it could bare bees made vainly to any but an English Whig Tribanal beet upon wresting incidental matters to tbe furtherance of political ends . It was Bade vainly :-the men are condemned j and tkeir lives are bow at tbs mercy ef the Crown , the Crown being held is leading Btrings by tb * political villains who procured their condemnation .
If any thing can exceed the atrocity ef Government iatbJB most despicable of all their despicable and most ferocious of all their ferocious exhibitions , it is the meanness , the truckling servility , aad the disgusting hypoerisy of the Judge , before whom this case was tried . Well indeed doeaa talented contemporary observe that the following passage reported from his speech seems incredible tram ita absurdity ;—
" Tbe Learned Judg * baTiDg pat on his bead tbe black sap , *» id—* You , Jereiniatk ttowell , Kraaoi * Robert ! , and Jb \ a Josei , have W » eonvUted of » capital felony . An Act vtaa pas « ed about two ye w * ago abolishing the capital pnniabmeut in many causa , bat this , I regret , did not ( arm one of the exception * . It atttt remains a capital offence . 1 aoa no ground * upon irhica I can recninmsnd you lo mercy , and i hnpa tko example 1 am about to wake will produce beneficial i-tfeett . '"
The glaring by poeriny and conspicuous meanness cf thia sentence of . Fudge Littlkdale ' s are fully equal to its absurdity . The Learned Judge regretted forsooth thrat the offence of which the prisoners had been convicted was still capital . His gentle heart oVr « wam with feeling that Englishmen should be yet liable to be hanged for beginning to pull down a dwelling-house or stable ; but so it was ; , and he couldn't help it .
The Jury had said that these men had t «^ un to pull down Messrs . Bourse * ' 8 &op , and the law said they must be hanged for it . But there wa » yet a power above the law , by whose merciful intervention the execution of the law might be averted . In cases where palliatiDg circumstances could be found , it was kin duty , as a Judge ,, to recommend to that high power the tempering of trre law ' s severity by mercy ; but he saw no ^ ground upon which to recommend these prisoners to marcy !
What ! was there no ground for mercy in the fact of the poor men ' s having been cajoled , outwitted , and betrayed—tricked out of their lives , committed for a misdemeanor—and then tried for a capital offence ? Wa * there no grouad for mercy in th& sorrowful appeal of Roberts to- the mercy of Court ; he having plenty ' of witnesses ^ but being too poor to bring them ? Was there no ground of recommendation to mercy ia the fact of their being convicted under an act which he regretted was-in existence . Bah ^ The varlet . ' Why thus gratuitously insult his victims ? Why net cast aside the 3 im » y garb of coarse
hypocrioy , and , putting on the proper front , have said , "You , Jeremiah Howell , Frances Roberts , and John Jonks , having been committed at the instigation and suis of a faetion for a misdemeanor , and having be « a by the artful wiles of that faction prevented of tba due means of making your defence , have been by the further manoeuvres and contrivances of that faction convicted of a capital offence , whereby your lives are forfeited te the operation of a la . w which ought to h * ve been long since swept from > our statute book , but whiah has been permitted to remain thereon , in ord «
that lbs aid might be-sought upon occasions like Ihe present one . I thick your ca * e a very hard ace . I think that you are cruelly and unfairly d * ak with . 1 could sa . Te you by a word cpeak iag to the Sovereign ; but the Government ne » d a few acarecnows at this time , and you being poor and frieadlesi men will suit admirably fo * that purpose ; therefore , as I owe them some gratitude for having made me a judge , aad es the pickings of tbe privileged orders , to which I belong , can only be upheld by the suppression of popular liberty , to the effecting of whieb . your immolation is thought
neceesary , I shall certainly net recommend you tJ mercy . You are doomed victims , and taunt prepare yourselves accordingly . " This would have been a proceeding infinitely more manly , to say the leatt of it , than the odious whine of regret coupled with a wilful blindness to tha ground ou which mercy might be extended . What , however , is- the duty of the people ? Will thsy suffer the " example" to be made without making an effort to prevent it P Will they crouch while the truncheon of oppressive despotism cleaves the air and lights with fatal e&ergy upon tbeir brethren in successive order ?
We feel assured that we know the people of England too well ; they will not suffer this Whig gibbet to be erected without putting forth their energies to despoil it of its trappings . The men must be saved , if human power and energy can save them . We are sony to observe too much disposition to put trust in Whig l « nity . There seems to be a general opinion that the Government will ef itself mitigate the sentence . Let not our frieads believe if . It will be the first time that a Whi g
Government ever spared iU owb victims . Let them remember the Whig riots and the fires at Bristol , the executions for which were uot expected , yfit they came . And thews will com * unless prevented by the people . But hotr to prevent them ? Do we recommend , as some are mad enough to do , physical violence for that purpose ? Would we have the gaol fired and the prisoners rescued—the law defied and society disorganised ? Certainl y not ; for that would merely pave the way for the repetition of like scenes upon a larger scale .
We would have the peoph act boldly , energeticall y , butpe usefully and constitutionall y . Let them addreae the Queen . Let memorials , couched in die strongest but moat respeotfal language , be poured upon her from all parts of the country . Let all the circumstances of the ca « e ; the poverty ef the met , and t » eir eewequen ; inability to rel » Ht the legal talent , cuHning , and subtlety , employed again-t them ; their being committed for the n » Bor offence and tried for the major one ; and , above all , their innocence , as attested by th « witnesws who could have proved it at the trial if permit * d ;—let all the ** be laid recpeetfully before htr Majesty , in memorial signed by hundred * of ihousaads from all parts of the
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oenntry , and let the Minirtry , if they dare , oppose their dictum to the influence of these memorials , Tba responsibility will then rest with them , and a fearful responsibility will Jt . be ; for It thejr do but onct succeed ia conrioeiogthe incredulous people of this wh » Je country that the reign of terror has indeed begun ; that there " u indeed no security— no protee . tion—for labour , liberty , or life , they will eertaiol y find that this insecurity tends sot to enhance tha security of property , and that- their experimental precedents upon a small scale May be folio wed is moat fearful earnest . ¦
To Readers & Correspondedt8
TO READERS & CORRESPONDEDT 8
NATIONAL DEFBNCB FUND . We h » T 8 received hot * tko ifottiaghaaa Ticcasm tb * foltowing k « ma : — Jt . a . i . Qainton ' a Close , Old Baaford , br Win . Haaiagway tit No . 14 , Broad AJarah Factory .. .. .. .. 0 4 Uoa Greea , bj Joku Stokea 9 5 11 Bobinaon'a Factory , New Baafotd 10 * Mr . KmLj '» black dyera , by Norauan .. .. 0 8 t Artificer * reaident ia Nattingham , employed not 100 mile * from Biogham .. » . .. .. 18 1 New Lentoa , by Mr . Bustock .. .. .. .. 1 711 1 » ob Green , br Mr . PiatU 0 10 1 Mr . Atkinaoa'a ahop .. .. .. .. ,. 0 1 2 Mr . / oaepnSuamona .. 08 * New Baaford . fcy J . Beardaall .. 7 J l * on Srten , by Lovett 0 8 * I > 9 . do 0 18 9 Calverton 10 0 Kiddle and Bbkia'e Factory , N » fr Baafort .. .. 104
ChatleaRoberta .. 0 % 104 Mr . J . uwaet .. .. .. ,. .. .. 0 7 8
20 1 7 Booka , peaa , pencils , * c , 9 6 If M % 14 t Frena tha Radical Awaeiatioa Derby jt $ 10 0 . From Vunfermluii Uaiveraal Suffrage Aaaociaiies 2 0 Krom the Kiarma Radical AaiociatioB 1 0 A few Boot'inakers at Liverpool , „ 0 18 0 Liverpool WorkiagMen'a Aasoeiation .... 4 12 Krom tke following places in Perthshire > - of a . A . Tolloeh 0-11 ? County of Angu « . 1 ft 0 Dunblane JJ 10 t Callander 110 Jriethren ...., 0 1 & 9 Doune 1 < r ft New Scone ..., „ .... 1 0- $ Radical * in the Chh of Gowrie 2 6 $ Collected at a Fishing Lodge , by Archibald Fume , Dike ot Morria 0 9 *
^ 10 8 C From Maochmter per A . Hey wood ...... 0 6 6 > „ do . by . ataOperatire Tailor 0 1 0 „ do . by » Friend to the Defence Kwad 0 1 From Halboath , Croa * Gates , Fordell , and UembrtaUe Associations 6 8 0 jtS . 1 » . M . of the » tww aum ia tor the National D « fen < 0 Fond and 138 . for the Convention Fuad from Halbeath . Will tbe partien pleue to- say what the other amouuta frow CreaaGatea , Fordell , and Bembieetle aro for . MR . Heorn , Suffolk , would get the work * he write * abont either from Mr Cleave , London , or Mr . Darken Norwich . Milton , Kent . —W . Normaa ia notanppUed from onr office : he must apply to the Ageat who aenda his Paper . O . Kcott . —The Paper * werr » ent Of ( teat , and , if charged , It was m . d * i >» od of the FfrKmaatera . A . Bkywood— HU papera were the laat that were posted ; therefore Cook ' a ought t » a * ve been delivered aa so » n ai Hevwood ' s at the leaat .
SPECIMENS have this weeb beta forwarded for MetealL Houghton Lee Spring , and Williams and Kiting , to frame Nawcaatle , for Mr * . White , to B . Carrutuew . A 8 HBUBTON , Devon—We will aend Portrai t * for Samuel Mann and the otter , * , in a > few weeks . HENRY SHERWOOD . —He cannot have them at an ; price Leamington Wqrking Me » jnnst exenae «* . We •»¦• not waste time ani apace on the cantemptible drive !}* to who » e ravioli they ha » e pointed onr attention . W the poor wretch die of hi * own nothingness : why ahootd we give him importance ? The Huddersfield and Bradford News Parcels were be ih received aft r-nvt J * on Thursday ; hot a word from . eitcwr of them can appear . Oar friends if they intend tbeir their communication * to be inctit ^ d must attend to the rale * we have ao often published , and which we are compelled te attend to . We cannot take budgets , of new * , extending over the whole week , on Thonday . Ve can take nothing on that day but such natter as ro » v hare occurred oa Wednesday .
Ba&Jrsuby-.
BA&jrSUBY-.
JtORK 8 TERs' Coubt . —On Sunday week , at Barnsley , two very impfewive sermons were preached by Mr . John Arran of Bradford , in aid of the National Defence Fund , when collections were made amounting to £ & . % a . The money wiH be forwarded to the West-Riding Fund . Glorious Dbmonstbation . —Never in the annals of oar town has there-been such a moral display of noble-minded mea , determined to burat the nnholy chains of tyranny which fetter tfaem , aa there have been on that ever-to-bt-recoraed day , tbe National Holiday . Early ia the . musing , though
apparently dull and gloomy , the people were seen moving to and fro , and all impatient for the appointed time— eleven e ' clo « k ; which was to present to their taskmasters their moral display . As soon as the time arrived the people , amounting in number to twelve thousand or upwates assembled on May-day Green , when . Mr . P . Hoeywas called to the chair amid loud acclamations . He briefly xtated the objects of the meeting , and requested of the friends assembled t » return to their homes peaceably . The meeting wa » addressed by Mr . Joseph Wilkinson , wbo proposed the following resolution , which was secondedby Mr . Wm , Donvil :
" That this meeting do . memorialize her Majesty to dismiss her ministers ,, and call to her council * ministers who will maW the People ' s Charter and a Repeal of the Union between Great Britain andi Ireland Cabinet measures . " Carried unanimously . The memorial recommended by the Council of thfr Convention was adopted . The attention of th « meeting was called to another memorial , which was to address the Queen tomiti gate the punishment of the Birmingham criminals , when the following resolution was moved by Air . Amoa Maudslaj , and seconded by Mr . Jame » Murphy : - " That we , the inhabitants of Barnsley and its environs view with , sorrow the late convictions in
Warwick , and do- hereby petition her Majesty t « grant those poor mea a mitigation of caj > U » l punishment *" Tbe memorial . ef the Conncil wes then adopted as in the formes » ase , and tables were placed ia tbe various parts of the tewn with petition sheets , which are sigaing with cheerfulness . The chairman then commented on Lord John Russell ' s assertion in She Commons' House of Parliament , ( hat tbe Chartists only wanted to change the places with them » n account of their property , and protested that if he thought any such idea existed , he would not be a Chartist one moment longer . He then asked the meeting if such were their ideas , and if no % to deny the assertion by a show of
hands , which wan unanimous . Notiee was then given to the people that a procesgien would take place at four o'clock , which took place accordingly : but to give any accouHt of the numbers would be impossible . Suffice it to say that the procession was upwards of a mile long , eight deep ; after whioh the people assembled on the Greea , forming themselves in a solid ring round the Greea . They then closed together , and heard a portion of the debates in Parliament read . The chairman then dissolved the meeting , requesting of the people , (< rb « were perfectly sober throughout the day , for not one drunken person could be seen , ) to return to their ho . nes peaceably , and by no means to disturb tbe
peace of the town , which was accordingly done . Tbe Barnsley band , who have attended on all occasions , gratuitously made their appearance early in the morning , and enlivened the cheerfulness of the ^ J ty patriotic airs . When their meeting dispersed the cavalry made their appearaace on the « ame ground which was previously occupied by the meeting , headed by Mr . Tborneley , one of the magistrates . The army and specials wers also in attendance ; after which they patrolled the town , cleared the public-house * , and all passed over at if nothing had , occurred . —We have received per Railway Labourers £ 1 10 * . ; and also from Dodsw « rtb , 15 j 4 d ., which please to acknowledge as received by the Barnsley Union .
BUUHlKCtHABzi Defence Fund . —We have beeB reqrested , bf a few friends at Birmingham , to notice the following sums received for the defence of Messrs . Brown and Fu&aell;— £ a . d . Our WalsallFriends ... 1 2 6 The Socialists of Birmingham .. 1 13 10 Friends of Dudley 0 13 9 Received from Stourbridge .... 2 0 0 Paid to Mr . Brown , at Stourbridge 0 10 9 Received , including the above earns , at various times .. .... 19 15 5 Expended in promoting their Case .......... . ! 1 * 1 7 Balance in hand 7 10 3
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A THE NORTHERN STAR . Avovn 17 , 1839 ,
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Aug. 17, 1839, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct690/page/4/
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