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Northern Star (1837-1852), 21st May 1842, Edition 4 of 5, Page 4, SPLENDID AND COSTLY PRESENT TO THE READERS OF THE "NORTHERN STAR."

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    • THE j S t OETHEE,N STAR. SATURDAY, MAY 21, 1842.
    • SPLENDID AND COSTLY PRESENT TO THE READERS OF THE "NORTHERN STAR."
    • £0 <Beat<erg *m& Comgponuentsu
    • jteaJ anfr ffientrnl $vcfflli%enm
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      Untitled Article

      AK ADDRESS FROtf THE MALE AND FEMALE CHARTISTS OF BIRMINGHAM TO - FEARGUS O'CONNOR , E 5 Q , TO TEASGCS O ' COXSOB , ESQ ., THE CHAMPION OF THE TOIUKG MILLIONS . Honoured and noble-minded patriot , —At a time like this , when the ej es of the workiog classes of the ¦ whole-British empire are fixed upon yon , as the -eyes of the tempest-beaten sailor are fixed npon the beacon which , directs him to a safe harbour—when those noon whom we hare looked as our best and ablest advocates have deserted our ranis , and are now serving in the ranks of your calumniators and enemies—when money and talents of no mean order are lavishly employed to cheat and delude-the

      working classes into a belief that you are unworthy of the confidence that they have reposed m you—at a time when your energetic mind has most need of support , these people hare conspired to rob you of the palm of merit which yon have bo nobly won and so justly deserve to wear—when the meretricious glare of respectability , and the specious pretences of middleclass hypocricv , are thrown out as lures to entrap oar fellow white slaves , and to destroy , by disunion , the Eighty movements they dread , and to lower and dishonour in oar estimation the man who has borne With unflinching firmness the battle and the breeze of their fiercest persecution—the man whose talents excite their envy , and whose honesty has acted as a foil to expose their trickery ;—at such a time as this ,

      Sir , we , the maid and female members of theNafcomd Charter Association , resident in the borough of Birmingham , deem it meet and right to set an example of grateful and fauhful attachment to you , and by this public address , to shew that our firm confidence in your patriotism is unabated , and our opinion of your honour and honesty unchanged . Our love and friendship is not diminished one iota towards you—the man of our choice—the only chief npon whose giant energies we can firmly rely—the enly individual whom we consider to be eminently calculated to direct the energies of the sovereign people in the attainment of perfect emancipation from the shackles of class tyranny . By your foresight , tact , and wisdom—by your

      deep legal knowledge—by your patriotic zeal , ever in active operation , we hare been enabled to go on from victory to victory , and at length to obtain a ; gUuiooa triumph over middle-class expediency , and i compelled o « r persecutors to acknowledge the-justice I of those divine principles which wehave , under your j auspices , firmly maintained and disseminated at all \ hazards , through evil and through good report ; yes , ; noble O'Connor , we owe our present proud position to you mainly , and we will not forsake the victorious i chief any more than we did the imprisoned victim of ; patriotism . M&ugre all the enmity and scandal . of jealous and ambitious upstarts , we , the men and women of Birmingham , pledge ourselves still . to ! Sght the moral battle of right against might , under : the nanner of vhe National Charter Association alone . \

      Under this banner , yon , Sir , and nearly five hundred other brave patriots , have suffered the treatment of felons . Our persecutors now patronize our principles , and they must adopt the name also and neoome reconciled to our organization and leaders . You shall not be robbed of your hard-won laurels ¦ whilst the chartists of Birmingham have a heart to beat -with gratitude , or a tongue to tell you how much they love , respect , and venerate the champion flf their rights and liberties . May God preserve yon , honoured sir , till all the people ' s enemies are put under their feet ; and when old time shall lead joa to your end , may goodness and you fill np one iaonument . This , Sir , Is tae sincere and heartfelt wish of your brother and sister Chartists ^ the members of the National Charter Association , resident in Birmingha m .

      Presented to Mr . O'Connor , at a publio dinner , held st the Black Horse Inn , Prospect Row , Birmingham , on the 17 th of May , 1842 .

      Untitled Article

      TO THE CHARTISTS OF GREAT BRITAIN . Bboxhkb Dkxocrats , —Now that the bustle attending the presentation of the National Petition is subsided ; now that the thousands upon thousands of individuals have decided on adopting Chartist principles ; now that such facts are plain to every sane man ; permit me to offer what I con--sider a few plain , common-sense remarks . You nave all heard how the petition has been treated ; how it has been sneered at ; how it has been - mocked at by our bitterest enemies ; and how it has been sinisterly supported by our sham-friends ; you have heard how Roebuck said the petition was drawn up by a cowardly demagogue ; you have

      heard bow Mr . O'Connell said he separated himself from the petition in toto ; you have beard how Macanlay and Bob Peel spurned the demand of the millions ; and thus , in consequence of the prayer © f the petition being so unfairly treated , thousands ha ^ e made their minds up not to petition again . 2 ? ow 1 wi 3 h to put a Mr question to every man , — " Did he expect better treatment from the misrepre-Bentatives of the people V I can only Fay for myself that I did not , so that on that score I was not disappointed . But I will tell you how I have been most agreeably disappointed—by the proud display the Londoners made on the occasion ; the pro-• vinces owe a debt of gratitude to the Lendon men , for the noble manner in which they cams out on the

      day ef the presentation of the Great National . Well , what are the results of the Petition ! So far , in my opinion , these are the results : during the sittings -of the convention in London , eaeh of its members was bnaiij engaged in agitating the trades , and I may safely affirm that more good has been effected in London towards the propagation of Chartism , than ever was done before in the same space of time . Moreover Mr . Geave eent copies of the petition to the San , Times , Advertiser , Herald , Chronicle , fyc . . < £ -c . It appeared in all the daily and weekly papers . There was not a single newspaper through the length and breath of the United Kingdom , that had not something to say on the National Petition . Thus were our pimciplea laid before

      the whole public to a far greater extent than ever I expected or anticipated . We have been endeavouring to bring our opinions prominently before the public , and at last we hive succeeded . Mark , my opinions as regard petitioning are , that I will petition , memorialise , remonstrate , or do any thing that can "by any means bring our opinions before the country . Just look at us now and four years ago ; see the multitudes now , as compared with then , that openly avow and advocate our principles' What were we then ? A despised , contemned party ; ' powerless as to numbers and disunited , because we did noi know each other . What are we now 1 As fai as numbers , and intelligence , and patriotism are concerned , the most powerful political party in the state .

      Why is such the fact ? Because vre have , by fearless agitation , at every meeting brought oar view 3 forward , and because our own or ^ an , the Northern . Star , has steered the Chartist ship through rough and aaiooth weather , amidst troubled waters , beset with Whig and Tory breakers , shoals , and quicksands , until now the Chartist body has one mind and one opinion on great first- principles : mind you , I am no blind worshiper of t'ho Star—it , like other papers , must commit errors ; but I look at the good it has done the cause ; ai > d I despise the man or set of men who "would detract from its merits and usefulness . My advice to the people is thia—to support the press thai advocates their cause—such press is to be found in the Stir

      the Welch Trumpet , edited by Morgan Williams , the Commonwealihsman , edited by T . Cooper and J . H . R . Bairstow , and the Chartist Circular . Tne Circular , from its cheapness , ought to be widely circulated . — Every Chartist writing to any other person , ought to enclose the Circular in his letter , and thus extend our principles in all directions . Four years ago we had only some half dozen Radical Associationsnow we have nearly 400 places united in the National Charter Association ; and I expect that there ¦ will be 4 , 000 votes polled at the forthcoming eleclion for the-Executive . See ho w North Lancashire has been agitated ; where , twelve months ago , there was one

      association , there arc now ten in that district , owing to the exertions of Beesley and others ; -see . how Yorkshire i 3 organised ; Todmorden with its upwards of 400 members , all good paying members ; the Halifax , Huddersfield , Bradford , Bingley , and other districts , have done their duty nobly " by the Executive ; bo has Lancashire . Observe what Boyle has done Jor Cheshire ; he has propagated Char nsm in places in which it was never known before . Mason , Bairstow , We 3 t , Ridley , Stallwood , and scores of others have done the same , but to shew-you the more plainly how our principles have and are extending , in every part of the kingdom , read the following : —

      n Coalbrook Dale , 8 th fifth month , 1842 .-** Deab Sib , —No doubt thon wilt be well pleased to hear the saccess that Chartism has met with here ; our cards are all sold , and I paid £ 1 2 s . lOd . for cards we had from thee , to brother Mogg , on 22 nd of April , which he promised to send to tbee in a Post-office order , and order ns another hundred cards ; these cards he has not sent yet ; I believe he has not received them . We have sold every card we had here , and are sadly in want of more . As we could not disappoint them any longer , we aotnally sent a poor man to Wolverhwnpton last night , and he has returned this morning , bringing all the cards and publications he could get there . We will likewise Bend some money to the Executive as

      soon as we can , but when thon has heard how we get on , thou will see we have none to spare , jksi at present ; we can hardly help ourselves . We have bow about 150 enrolled members ; things are going on prosperously . This morning , I understand there has been a very large meeeting to hear the 8 lar read and other publications , and five or six shilling ' s worth of circulars and ^ other cheap publications were -sold , which we have just received from Wolverhampton . Bat the best has got to come ; thres weeks ago Byself and two friends took a walk round Donningtoa Wood , Old Bask , and Oaken Grates , amongst the colliers ; -they wanted a lecturer , so we promised Mogg on Wednesday night following , in the Marketplace , Oaken Gates , and set the crier on . We ex-

      Untitled Article

      pected to find 7 or 800 there , but when we got there they were obliged to go into the Bull Ring ; there were about 2600 persons present . J . Halford , a young man from the Dale , promised to lecture there last Monday . When he got there , there were about 4 , 000 waiting for him . The Charter has tokennothing else will go down there . The magistrates are alaTmed , and are holding meetings to prepare themselves against an outbreak . I was m Shrewsbury last Thursday and Friday , and of course endeavoured to find out what standing it has got there .

      I find they have been holding weekly meetings , and lectnring amongst themselves , bat have not attempted to start an Association . I have got them to promise to make a start . A young man , a shoemaker from Bilston , of the name of Moseley , has undertaken to be their Secretary , and to begin to enroll names . Last night , I promised to order some cards for them , which you will send as soon as possible , directed to John Batho , Robin Hood , near Old Factory , Shrewsbury . He will see that tbe money is sent to the Executive for them , and be kind enough to give them what direction you can .

      " I have likewise written to Messrs . Mason and O'Connor . We intend to have a grand demonstration on Whitsun-Tuesday . They are coming from all parts , even from Wales . We expect from twenty to thirty thousand there ; and if Mr . O'Connor will come , I dare say there will be 100 , 000 persons present . It is like the centre of greatest attraction in Shropshire . Use thy influence to persuade him to come ; and Chartism , in one stroke , is planted in every town in Shropshire . " I remain thine respectfully , " John Child . " To Mr . John Campbell , ' Corporation-street , Salford . "

      Now , my friends , is not such news gratifying Much has been , much remains to be , done . Lincolnshire , Bedfordshire , Rutlandshire , Oxfordshire , Kent , Essex , Sugsex , Surrey , Middlesex , Westmorland , Norfolk , Suffolk , Cambridge , the mountainous parts of Wales , and the Highlands of Scotland , must and shall be agitated . Let us , then , go on more determined than ever , until the citadel of corruption be thrown down by the battering-ram of truth , and the temple of liberty founded on its ruins , inside which will be admitted the whole family of man .

      In conclusion , I must inform my constituents that I will visit the following places after the hurry of the elections for the Executive shall have been overnamely , Norwich , Ipswich , Lynn , Yarmouth , Harleston , Bury St . Edmund ' s , Wisbeach , and Cambridge , remaining one night in each place to address the people ; and the district must make arrangements where to begin , so as to make the route as convenient f or me as possible . I remain , Yoar brother democrat , John Campbell . Corporation-street , Salford , May 16 th , 1842 .

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      We did not receive Mr . O'Connor ' s reply tc the Irish TJmversal Suffrage Associatio > in time tor insertion .

      The J S T Oethee,N Star. Saturday, May 21, 1842.

      THE j S OETHEE , N STAR . SATURDAY , MAY 21 , 1842 .

      Untitled Article

      THE KIDNAPPING SYSTEM . HORRIBLE DESTITUTION OF THE OPERATIVES IN SYDNEY , NEW

      SOUTH WALES . Some time ago , we directed the attention of tbe readers of the Northern Star to the subject of emigration generally , and pointed out to their especial notice the atrocions system of cruelty pursued towards our fellow-countrymen in the distant dependencies of the British Crown . We this week call attention to circulars from the Operative Stonemasons and the Boot and Shoemakers , of Sydney New Sonth Wales , addressed to their brethren in this country , and severally dated October 28 th , 1841 ,

      and which appear in another column . These circulars will enable our readers to perceive the state and condition of the working classes , who , by false hopes , and delusive promises have been induced to quit their " fatherland" for a settlement in what has been " a colonial paradise . " Besides the circulars we thi 3 day publish , we have others nowheforeus from tha labouring classes—the house painters , the journeyman bakers , watch and clock makers , sawyers , and various other trades , varying in their details , but all embodying the most heart-rending statements of destitution and distress .

      We see no reason to doubt the truth of the various allegations thus made ; they have been drawn up in compliance with a resolution passed at a meeting of delegates from the trades at Sydney , and are sufficiently varied to warrant us in coming to the conclusion that they are the plain statements of unvarnished truth . These documents have been sent to England for the purpose of publication , by placard , or otherwise , the trades of Sydney guaranteeing the expense ; and the object of them appears to be the warning of the operatives at home against the delusions practised

      by those infernal furies , in the shape of Bounty Emigration agents , who are trying to kidnap the people of this country into a state of bondage worfe than death , for the purpose of increasing their illgotten gains by the nefarious traffic . These pitiless wretches appear to be well supported by the master rascals on the other side of the globe . The shoemakers , speaking of a man who had gone out to Sydney in order to better his condition , and who had been induced to do so by a statement sent to Ecgland from the master boot and shoemakers , in October , 1840 , say , " On the arrival of Matthews ,

      he applied for work to Mr . Slomajj , who was at that time Secretary to the Society of Master Boot and Shoemakers , but wa 3 told by him that he could not find work for the man assigned to him . Matthews told Sloux that he brought a statement of the Sydney wages with him . Slomax laughed , and toid him that was one of the statements he had sent home , and that he had sent them to all the grindery shops he co' -ild think of in England , Ireland , and Scotland : " This certainly needsno comment ; it is strong presumptive evidence of a wellarranged and wcll-niderstood systrm of fraud and

      delusion concocted bjtvreen tho bounty agents at home and the blood-suckers in the colony ; the one seeking to enrich themselves by kidnapping the people here and dooming them to slavery , while the others are endeavouring to make themselves " respectable" and " powerful" in tlie Colonie 3 , by reduckg the wages of the operative , and thus securing to themselves a greater aggregate of profit . The mean 3 resorted to by these bounty agents to seduce their deladed victims , aro promises of immediate and constant employment vrith high wages . Representations , in fact , are put for ; h which induce the working man to believe that , in a few years he will be able to realise a fortune and spend the evening of

      his days in ease and comfort . In all these respects , the poor emigrant finds himself miserably disappointed . He arrives in the colony with his wife and family , he seeks for employment , but can find none ; he offers to work at any price—the labour market is over-stocked , and the wages of all become redeced in consequence . This is , however , the best side of the picture ; in very many cases employment cannot be procured at all ; hundreds of emigrants on landing , find themselves houseless and hopeless wanderers , at a distance of 1 G . 0 C 0 miles from tbeir native land , without a friend to sympathise with them , or a heart to feel for their destitution and distresa .

      Bad as the condition of the working classes in this country ie , emigration evidently , under such circumstances , only makes bad worse ; and we beg our countrymen to pause , and ask themselves how they can endure to see their wives and children fainting beneath a burning sun , and dying for hunger unpitied and unaidedin a foreign land , before they venture to give themselves up without hope or remedy into the grasp of the oppressor ? We are told that land

      is cheap , that it will amply repay the cost of cultivation , that wages are high , and employment easily obtained . Now how stands the fact % The circulars of the trades are all dated October or November , and they ail agree that during the previous six months many operatives in every branch have been unemployed ; that an influx of emigrants has tended to reduce wages very considerably ; that every new importation increases the general distress ; that no

      Untitled Article

      hopes , or very slender ones , are entertained ef a change for the better , and that , in the midst of all , provisions are excessively dear , rents most exorbitantly high , fuel and clothing high in proportion , and vegetables not to be procured at any price . There is some variety in the statements of prices , but nothing material . The highest wages will not amount to more than eight ' shillings per day , and the average rate of wages will not be more than thirty shillings per week . This would be reckoned tolerably good wages in England ; it is a mere starvation pittance in New South Wales . In England , the occupant of a house at ten pounds per annum is

      deemed respectable , at least according to the Whig estimate of respectability established by the Reform Bill ; in Sydney , the occupier of a single room not above nine feet square must pay a rental of eighteen pounds four shillings per annum , or seven shillings per week , and he must pay it weekly or go about his business ; for a cottage with two rooms , 15 ? . per week is charged ; for one with three rooms , £ 1 5 s . ; and a house containing four rooms , we learn from the document before us , the usual weekly rent is £ 1 15 s . To all this must be added the cost of fuel , food , and clothing , all which are from one to three hundred per cent , higher than they can be procured in this country .

      Looking at these facts , it is plain that the working man , even when in constant employment , and receiving tie highest rate of remuneration , will only be able to procure for himself and family the bare neces saries of life : comforts , to say nothing of luxuries must be entirely out of the question . Nor has he the remotest chance of altering his circumstances , or of bettering his condition . But if suoh be the abject condition of the operatives when in full employment , and receiving the highest rate of wages , how deplorable must be their condition when deprived of employment for months together !

      Owing to circumstances , into an examination of which we will not now enter , but the chief of which is unquestionably the bad , ambitions system of government which prevails in all our dependencies , the colonies are not able to provide work for the existing population . In every branch of trade numbers were oat of employment , wandering through the streets in idleness , ready to take work at any price ; and thus , by lowering the rate of wages , bringing upon themselves and the whole working community accumulated and increasing

      distress . These things should be deeply pondered and well considered by the operatives at home who may be induced to look to New South Wales as a land of ease and plenty . We are aware that the country is as yet but thinly peopled : brought into proper cultivation , it might easily be made to yield produce for at least five times the number of its present , inhabitants . The fault is not in the land , nor in the people : it is in the system , and is inseparable

      from the system . It ib said land is cheap , and so it may be nominally ; but cheap and dear are relative terms . Any article is cheap , whatever its ostensible price may be , if those who want it possess ample means by which to secure it ; and every article is dear , even though its actual price may not exceed one penny , if the person wanting it be destitute of the means wherewith to purchase it . The working man in the colonies has no such means ; and hence to become a landed proprietor is to him impossible .

      Under a Bystem like this how fearful must be the consequences of a continual influx of newcomers from the mother country . On the one hand is suspicion and distrust , and on tho other privation and want in their most appalling forms . Multitudes of human beings , who with high hopes and deluded expectations have left their native shores , find themselves , after the privations and hardships of a four or five months voyage , left , with every hope blighted , to perish by the most cruel of deaths as outcasts in a foreign and an inhospitable

      clime . And why , we ask , is all this ? Is it for the honour and interest of England ? Does this atrocious system of cold-blooded murder in the colonies tend to promote the comfort of the people or to secure the stability of the throne 1 Not one of these ends is answered ; not an advantage is secured which can in the remotest degree compensate the country for ' all this guilt and wretchedness . What end then , we again ask , is answered by it ? It serves to build up despotism , to arm tyranny with additional powers , to destroy ,

      without the odium of muider , the human maclnneB which have increased more rapidly than was consistent with the unhallowed designs of capital . Bad as we are we dare not openly butcher those of our operatives that we find it inconvenient to keep ; the plan , therefore is a system of kidnapping by bounty agents . The poor wretches are stowed like cattle into emigrant ships ; in some instances disease and fever consigns them to a watery grave ; or , at all events , they are sure to be got rid of by want and starvation when arrived at the scene of their fearful destiny .

      We have thought it right to direct the attention of our readers to this important subject , because it is with the people that the ultimate decision of the question relative to emigration rests . The transportation scheme will still be acted upon , and a system of wholesale murder perpetrated according to law , unless the people with one voice declare that such things shall no longer be . We have yet more facts in store . The We&t Indies and the prosecution of the same horrible slave traffic in Irishmen well merUs an exposure , and shall have it .

      If the people must emigrate let them not seek tho colonies ; let them look to the free states of North America ; but vre a ^ ain repeat as we have often done before , that emigration is unnecessary . We have ample resources at home for the whole of our population , were it five times greater than it is , and it is bid government alone which prevents their develepemenfc . Let the people ponder those things well . Let our march be onward !—our watchward , union ! ! and our determination be , never to quit the land of our birth until its capabilities have been fully drawn forth and found inadequate . Then it will be time to talk of emigration , but not till then .

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      leap . If other than such men as are proof alike against the calls of interest , and a" respectability , ' and will adhere always , and right iforwaTd to the old ship , though fifty new sprung butterflieB should 1 flutter in the breeze ~ if other than such men as , are capable of being elevated without turning giddyif other than such men as , knowing the grave and responsible character of their position , can bear friendly criticism , or even reproof , if necessary . ; without losing temper and hazHdins our cause by petulance and overbearing—if other than reasonable , modest , clear-sighted , honest-hearted , but yet firmly determined men * be elected upon this Committee , the cause will have suffered great injury .

      We have perfect confidence in the people's prudence . They aro not now to be guided like children . They need little either of . . admonition or advice . No man can either long or far deceive them by fair seeming . We bid them only to exeroise their prudence and to determine not hastily upon whom to recommend for nomination ; and when the candidates are nominated , not to vote without deep and due consideration .

      We abstain , from recommending individuals ; because ( among other reasons ) if we did bo , every man who was not recommended , and yet thinks himsel f eligible , would consider himself " denounced , " and would prooeed acoprdiDgly to denounce us . Now , we have made up our minds , that neither the spleen , nor the vanity , nor the ambition of individuals shall find in us a weapon wherewith to wound the cause . The people have the whole race of public men before them ; they know who have ' . been ^ consistent in their adherence to Chartist prinoiule and policy , and

      who have not ; they know who have , through the whole movement , exhibited an eyen and forbearing temper ^ looking past all minor matters to the one great cause , and who , if any , have seemed to forget all but their own greatness and importance ; they know that a testy , quick , quarrelsome , short-sighted , headstrong , impatient , or violent man is no man for them ; they know tha ? a man who runs after every " new move" that comes upon the carpet is no man for them . We have no fear that they will prove their wisdom by the discretion of their choice .

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      SLAVERY . We purposed saying something on the awful revelations of the report of the " Childrens' Employ * ment Commission , " given elsewhere . We have not room this week for it , but shall yet make some comparison between the amount of guilt " which may be reasonably deemed" to appertain respectively to the •' infernal , " " iron-hearted , " " bloody" planters of the West Indie ' s , and the " respectable , " "benevolent , " " Christian , " " religious" owners of some of our mines and manufactories , as well as of our eolonial lands .

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      Determined to commemorate every groat national event connected with the present " movement , " Mr . O'Connor has entered into arrangements for presenting the Subscribers to the Star with a large and splendid Engraving of the Presentation of

      THE GREAT NATIONAL PETITION to tho House of Commons . This Plate will be as much superior to the Engravings already given with the Star , as they were to any ever given with any other newspaper . It will be divided , as it were * into three main compartments . The first will represent the Dele-OATESin Convention AS 9 EMBLEp , previ 6 u 8 tostarting with the Petition to the House of Commons , The centre and largest compartment will represent the Procession accompanying the Petition to the House , the Petition itself , the Bearers of it , and the People , when passing Whitehall , and approaching Palace Yard . The third compartment will represent the Petition IN THE

      HOUSE , when " laid oil the table ; " being a general view of the Interior of the House of Commons , the Bar and the Speaker ' s Chair being prominent features . In addition ito these main compartments the upper and lower edges of the plate will be divided into sixteen other smaller compartments , each one of which will contain an accurate representation of some great Publitt Building passed in the route from the Convention Rooms to the Parliament House . Views will thus be given of Temple Bar , St . Clement Dane ' s Church , Somerset House , Exeter Hall , St . Mary-le-Strand , Trafalgar Square , Northumberland HouseWhitehall . Richmond Terrace , The

      , Admiralty , The Horse Guards , Westminster Bridge , The Treasury , Westminster Abbey and St . Margaret ' Church , Westminster Hall , and the Exterior of the House of Common . There will thus be given , upon one very large sheet , Nineteen Splendid Pictures , all harmoniously combined to make the whole an effective and worthy representation of tho most important movement ever made by the English people in favour of liberty . The terms upon which the Plat 8 will be issued are as follow : — Every Subscriber to the-Star for Four Months , from the dato of cntoriiia his name with his

      newsagent , will bo entitled to a Plate . We do not promise to have it ready at any particular time , for tho work will be one of such a character , and will need such careful atteusion on the part of the Engraver , as to defy any ono to fix an exact time . This , however , we do promise ; Every subscriber is at liberty to cease his subscription at the end of four months , holding his ticket , and receiving his plato and paper from tho Agent he has subscribed with , tho day it is presented , just as if he had continued to subscribe . The Price of the Paper tho week the Plate is prefc * : nt"d will be One Shi / ling . We will try to make such arrangements as will make this tin ) only charge the Subscribers will have to

      pay-Aleuts , therefore , will please to open subscription lists , and in all cases . furnish the subscriber wuh a ticket , which ticket will entitle him to the Plate whenever it is given for subscribing for tho Star for four months . As soon as possible , specimens shall be placed in tho hands of tho Assents .

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      A . K .. of Sheffield , writes in commendation of a plan for an attack upon the tax chest , proposed by Mr . Aloir , who has lately been lecturing in Sheffield . The plan is for every Chartist to take a sheet with the list of all exciseable articles at the head of it ; then let the individual waited upon , if he approve of the plan , sign his name to those articles that he will abstain from : let one or two millions of signatures be got ; let it be announced through the columns of the Chartist press that every one that has signed the above will abstain for six months ; and then see what the effect will be . H . D . Griffiths . —The matter of his commwiicati&n may be of considerable local interest ; but has not enough of public interest for our columns . Thomas Francis .- ^ -The resolution cannot be

      inserted . . ' . Jonathan Gipson . — We have not room . C . M . Williams . — We-know nothing of the letter tc which ihe alludes—we think that it has not reached us . Northampton Chartists . —We can have nothing to do with local quarrels . J ., BftiSTOL . —We cannot answer ; but have sent his letter to Mr . O'Connor . Poor Law Bastiles . —A correspondent writes us , that about a month ago , a poor wonidn , upwards of sixty years of age , desired to leave the Mac ~ clesfield Union Poorhouse , of which she was an

      inmate . She gave the governor , Mri Robinson , legal notice to that effect . Mr- Robinson , on learning the poor creature ' s desire to go ctway , told her she must give up her clothes , as they belonged to the parish ; and the wretched creature was actually stripped of all her clothing to her petticoat , and turned out of the house in this situation . If this be true , it is a case of gross and shocking brutality . All letters and correspondence for the adult Chartists of Scockport must , for the future * be directed-to Thomas Clark , news-agent , Heatonlane , as he has removed from Temperance Yard .

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      H . B . MaRley and James Hoppet . —7 »« r communications came too late for this week . Brompton and KNiGHTSBRtpoa Chartists must send their resolution to Mr . Stallwoodt privalely . ' ¦¦¦ ¦ ¦'¦¦ ... ¦ ¦ ' .. , ' ¦ ' - .: ' - ¦¦ . ¦¦ ¦'¦ .. • '¦¦' ¦ ' .: : r :-Our Newcastle Correspondent must please only to write on one side . - Sheffield Chartists . ^— We have not room for the letter of Mr . Ward . Job Plant . —If he wishes Feargus O'Connor to see

      his letter he mast send it to him : the Northern Star 'is no poit-officei Will any Chartist beverage manufacturer who wishes to forward the cause communicate as soon aspossiblewithMr . Crockford , No . $ ; Cleveland street , Middlesex ' Hospital , London , whowishes to become agent for London , and will give onepenny in the shilling to the Marylebone Associdtion . Axl Communications for the National Charter Association of Birmingham are requested to be sent to E . P . Mead , No . 1 , Hatchet-street ,

      Newtownrow . Glasgow . —The report of the adjourned meeting iii St . Ann's Church came too late for insertion .

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      Mr . MiCKLETHWAiTE can receive his plate from Mr . Heywoodf by calling . W . DRTf DSD ALE . —All r ight . James Arthur , — -Yes . X- H . B—We have not one copy at the office . Mr . Richard Morgan , Newhnan . —Tne parcel was sent on April 23 rd , by Pickfords . , FOR THE CONVENTION . 8 a From a few friends in Falkland . 5 0

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      HUDDERSFIEIiD . —A Runaway Boy . —On the 6 th of May last , James Graham , a boy about twelve years of age , ran away from his uncle ' s home , John Jessop , Paddock . He had on his working clothes as ho left the mill . He stands about four feet two inches ; rather stout made ; a pleasant looking boy ; darkish hair . Any person having seen the boy , will ^ confer a great favour on his friends by writing to Mr . John Jessop , Paddock , near Huddersfield . ¦ ¦¦' . ¦¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ '• . ' ¦ ¦ '¦ ¦' ..: ¦ •' ¦ ' ' -.. : . ' ¦ ¦ ¦' : ¦ ¦ . "¦ ¦

      To the Public . — - —Messrs . WopP and Cb . ' s Weavers . —Friends , —We present you with this short address for the purpose of informing you that the strike against Messrs . Jacob Wood , William Norton , and Co . still continues . How long such a state of things is to remain depends upon the disposition manifested by Messrs . Jacob Wood and Co . who up to the present time have shewn no inclination to settle so unpleasant a dispute . We have written to them to ascertain the price they really intend to give , but they refuse to furnish us with a statement , although we furnished them with the price we required them to give , therefore the enly course left for us to pursue is to request a continuance of support from our numerous friends , while

      they may rely upon the strike being conducted with that economy , vigour , and determination which has already characterised its proceedings . Not one of the turnouts has returned to the employment of Mes&rsvJ . Wood and Co ., which speaks voJumesfor the justice of the cause in whioh they are engaged , while a-large number of the turn-outs have found employment at those manufacturers who are disposed to give us a helping hand , a- . ; course we strongly recommend to those who are inclined to benefit the trade upon which we depend for support . As the strike is likely to continue for an indefinite period , we hope our friends will make renewed exertions on behalf of the turn-outs , as we are determiHed to strain every nerve rather than siiifrender one iota of the just cause in which we are engaged , for the manufacturers have repeatedly

      informed us " that whatever wages the strike is settled at , the same wages will be the standard throughout the West Riding . " If Messrs . ' J , Wood and Co . are disposed to give the same wages as the other manufacturers , the present dispute may be amicably settled , but if they are determined to encroach upon their workmen ' s labour , and depreciate the value of the manufacturers' capital , they may expect determined opposition from your faithful servants , The Central Committee , George Feank . la . nd , , David Armiiage , John Smith . > Committee Room , Woodsome Mill . May 17 , 1842 . P . S . The news from Bolton is highly gratifying , as the weavers thero are determined not to weave at a lower price than tho othermanufacturers are giving in Yorkshire .

      HEYWOOD .-Tyranny of the Cotion Lords . —During the last few weeks , the millowners of this place have shown their sympathy for the working class by reducing their wages in some instances as much as fifteen or twenty per : cent . ; and , not satisfied with this mode of robbing their hands , they compel them to take houses belonging to them ( the millocrats , ) and to pay higher rents than they otherwise would have to pay . There are instances in this village where young men , not married , have to pay rent for houses that they did not live in , having no furniture ; the house has been locked up empty , and the rent stopt put of the man ' s wages on the Friday night . They have now discovered another mode of screwing the money out of the pockets of the labourer : they ( the

      millowners ) take a number of houses off persons who have no mills ; and , consequently , cannot get their houses tenanted , and force their hands into them ; paying the owner of the houses Is . 6 d . arid Is . 9 d . per week , and stopping their hauds 2 s . and 2 s . 9 d . ( or living in them . Having found put that what they stop in the shape of abatements may be recovered by law , they have in some mills in this village drawn up a document , which states that the hands are not to prosecute the master for any abatement or deductions he may make from their wages I The poor hands have been compelled to sign tbeir names to this infamous document , or leave their employment ; and , knowing that there were hundreds out of employment , willing to get work npon any conditions , they have , with few exceptions , complied .

      STQCKPO"RT . —The unfortunate poor of "this once prosperous town are now suffering the extreme of human misery ; the streets aro thronged with unwilling ! idlers , whoso woe-worn coanteiiances speak volumes against the accursed system . The tales of distress that these men tell would draw a tear from the eye , or moisten the heart of any save an English griping capitalist . It has become quite common now for men to have two meals of oatmeal and water in forty-eight hours . The question invariably put irom one of these poor fellows to another is , "Well , Bid , when had you anything to eat lastV The answer in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred is , "Not sin yesterday morn , nor I munna have while night , and then it will be nought but a mesa of water-porridge and salt . " On Friday last , a poor

      man came into the house of your correspondent ; , who questioned him as to tho reason of his being in such good spirits , as tie had for two days previous noticed him being particularly dejected . He said it was owing to his having met a friend who gave him sixpence : this he hurried home with to a wife and three starving children ; he expended the money in bread and buttermilk , aud although neither lie nor her had eaten anythiug for two days previous , save "boiled potitoe pillings ; " he could not think of tasting himself , for , said he , with a sigh , " My days are to be few , and the fewer the better , for I would hail death this moment as a God-send ; " though he is quite a young map , who , twelvemonths ago , was receiving thirty shillinga a week for spinning . What will be the end , God only knows .

      LOUGHBOROUGH . —The employers of the starving stocking makers seem determined to drive them to desperation , for one of them , notwithstanding the low price at which they labour , has been attempting to advance their frame rent from 9 d . to Is . ; Is . to Is . 6 ± ; and from 2 s . to 2 s . 6 d . per week , —some say , to pay the income tax . This led to their assembling at Sheepshead on Monday , and appointing a deputation to wait on one of the masters . They then came in a body to this place , to the numberof 300 or 400 . The deputation got it deferred

      for a month , but it is understood that the pressers are to go in . So that those who bad taken out ; at the advance rent will have nothing to do . The coming of these poor fellows was sufficient to alarm the conservators of the peace , for , notwithstanding we have forty soldiers in the town , fourteen of the rural blue-bottles , with their commander at their head , arrived by the train and marched into the Red Lion yard . But the birds had flown , with the exception ef a few stragglers ; so they had no use for their truncheons , nor had they an opportunity to show their valour .

      WIGAN . ^ -The Man « uiester Unity of the Independent Order of Odd FELLows . ~ The A . M . C . of this Order is held in Wigan this year . The number of delegates assembled ia 700 . In consequence of this meeting of the Brethren from all parts of the country , the Lodges in the distriot agreed to have a procession on Monday last . At two o ' clock the various Lodges had formed themselves in the Market-place , and after leaving thence paraded through the principal streets of the to wn , accompanied by bands of music , banners , &o . The procession was the largest ever seen in Wigan ;

      I . EEDS—Ancient Romans . —On Tuesday last the Prosperity Senate pf thiai- ¦ ¦ Order ; - ; held its Anniversary at the Saracen ' s Head Inn , Boar-lain-j when the members and Visiting Brethren were regaled with an excellent dinner , which reflected the greatest credit on the worthy host , Mr . James , and proved him , in tbe estimation of the company , a caterer of the first order . On the removal of the cloth , the Seal was formally opened , when the accounts , &o ., of the Senate ( for the past year ) were carefully examined , and gave to the members the utmost satiefajtion ,

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      Odd FEtKJw '' —On Monday last , the members of the Loyal Nelson Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellow * . . Np . 303 , of , the Manoheater Unity , held the / r twenty-foarth anniversary at the house of Mr . Thomas . Ha r ^ ave ^ aUjShoYel Inn , Armley , when upwards of 150 sat . down to * real substantial dinner , 'un » shed up in the first-rate style by Mr . and Mrs . Vargtaves , which reflected the Utmost credit on the ^ - After the Lodge was opened , Mr . Joseph Hay » ood being called to the chair , the business being brought forward , it was stated in the report that the M > ° & , new numbered 168 free members , and that they had lost two during the last year , one by death and the other for non-pay tne las

      ment , and their funds bad increase . * ™«« e - year than in any former year for bo ^ time ; aftet which , the ^ ^ remainder of the evening was spent in a veryfriehdly manner . _ , Ancient Ordkrop Gardeners . —Ot '_ ^ ^ a . ayi the Lily of the Valley Lodge of this t humbing Order , held its anniversary at the house . ¦ ¦ pr .-. Mx . John Hamilton , thejFox Inn , Wheeleivstreet , f lank . The members and visiting Gardeners sat doyruV to a sumptuous dinner provided for the occasion , and was served np in that stylo pf elegance and plenty so charaoteristio of Mn and Mrs . Hamilton ; T ^ e evening was spent in the most convivial manner , an \ "l the company peacefully separated at half-past tea o ' clock . - >¦ ¦ . . "; - ¦ - "' ¦'¦ _ ¦ ' ¦ " •• • ¦ :

      Cbicket Match . —Otlet aqainst Leeds . —Oa Monday last a match at cricket was played at Otley , in the presence of a large concourse of people , between the Otley and Leeds ( Cobpurg ) clubs , which was won by the former , with ten wickets to fall . Otley * 141 ; Leeds , 140 . A dance on the green and other entertainments concluded the day ' s sports . SUNDEBLAND —Straved proh Homb . —On Saturday week , a young man named Joseph Dodd , belonging to Sunderiand , ( evidently under the iaflnenoe of insanityj ) rose from : his bed about three in the morning , and having dressed himself ran out of the house followed by his mother , but nnfortnnatelv he succeeded in making bis escape . His

      friends hive been in search of him ever since , but have not got him yet . He has been discovered to have been at Ferry Hill , near Durham . Since thea he has been seen near Borbnghbridgei When he stated that he was going to ^ Leeds . He stands 5 ft . 10 in . high ; was dressed in fustian jacket and trowsers , black waistcoat and neckercfiief . He is of fair cpmplexipn ; had a prayer bookJn his hand , and appeared to ba labouring under great religious excitement . Should this meet the eye of any who may hiVe keen a person answering this ; descriptipn , t ^ ey » w nwsi urgently requested to communicate particulars to his father , George Dodd , Nile-street , Bishopweirmoath , Sunderiand . :

      I . ONDON . —Determined Suicide . — {) n Thursday morning last , a female , dressed in the first sty Ie of fashion , threw herself into the river Thames near Vauxhall Bridge . She was instantly carried away with the tide . The Miirdeb at Highbury- —^ Latest particu-Idrs . j- ' The wretched man , Cooper , although much better , still continues in a very low state , and it is the general opinion : that he will not survive until the nest sessions . The two men , Mott and Moss , are daily getting better . ;

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      PUBLIC DINNER , AT HIGHBURY BARN . On Whit-Monday , the grand annual dinner of the United Societies of Carpenters waa held at Highbury-Bam , the profits of which , and of the ball in tho evening , were to be devoted to the benevolent purpose of erecting alms bouses for their , aged and ioahn , bre thren . "Upwards of three hundred sat down to a iaost excellent dinner , got up in flrat r tate styUu " ,. " , The gallery was crowded with ladies , and an excellent military band added much to the hilarity of the scene . At the conclusion of the repast the company adjourned to the beauteous gardens attached to the hooae , and reassem bled at four o ' clock , when Mr . Jeseph Butler , Who had been previously elected , again presided over the assembly , and commenced by assuring them that though he

      had presided over larger meetings , he never felt more deeply the responsibility attached to the situation on previous dinners connected with these societies . They had confined their attention to social harmony , and to matters connected with the trade ; but , on ^ is occasion they had still higher objects to bring , ' under their notice . The profits of tne dinner were te be devoted to the purpose of raising a fond for the support of the aged and infirm . ( Cheers . ) He would confidently appeal to both sexes for support la carrying out that great object . Was it not a disgrace , that the aged and infirm members of ghtix trade should be wandering through their stree t *; In poverty ; should be sconted and treated with contempt ? He was convinced that the young members of the trade would sympathise

      with them , and appreciate this effort to provide an asylum for them , not knowing how soon they might be reduced to a similar state . Another new feature in that day ' s proceedings was , that while , on other occasions , they had confined their attention to the mere surface of things , and had not looked to the cauee of the evils and the distress which had existed , they had now seen the folly of this , they were determined to be misled no longer , but would take their affairs into their own hands , and see if they could not better their condition by having the power of legislation vested in them-Belves . The first toast to / which their attention would be directed was—" The working classes , and may they speedily obtain a just reward for their labour . " The steps taken by tae working classes , within the last year ,

      would , he believed , ultimately secure this object By adopting this toast they would show , to the wprld , he hoped , that as a trade they were at length alive to the importance of looking te their political condition . Was not trade in a most depressed condition Did they receive a just reward for their labour ? They were welLaware they , did not ,, and . unless they looked to the cause of this they would become more and more degraded—their situation would daily become worse and worse . The next toast that ¦ would be proposed went to remove the : cause of the evils which oppressed them ; it struck at the root of bad legislatien , which had crested all the misery and degradation which existed in the whole world . He knew not whether it might be palatable to the whole body , but he thought that it would . This toast was—The Charter . The House of Commons had treated their petition with contumely and insult ; it had solemnly declared that the working classes had no right to a share in the legislation of the country ;

      that they were to be regarded only as slaves and beaala of burden . Tke question for them to consider was , would they any longer submit to this stats of things ? It had been said by an excellent authority , that for a nation to be free it was sufficient that she willed it ; they had not this freedom , and if they did not will it they were not deserving of it . The subject of the Chiirter being broached in this public manner would show it did not emanate from a party , but from the whole body . It would declare to tho world that the aristocracy had at length forced them to become po ? liticians . As that worthy advocate of the Charter Dr . M'bouall was present he should not say more upon the subject , and the other toasts also were in hands that would do justice to them . He was well , aware that they would give a fair hearing to all persons who might a 1 dress them , either for or against the toasts , and he also trusted that the toasts would give universal satisfaction , and that their liberal example wduld speedily be followed by other trades . ( Great cheering . ) ¦

      Mr . Tapprell stated that he had the honour to be entrusted with the first toast , ' ^ Th e working classes of the United Kiugdom of Great Britain and Ireland , may they speedily receive a jii 3 t reward ; for their labour . " He need not go at length into the subject , whether they did receive a just reward for their labour . They had sufficient evidence to prove the contrary , but he trusted that his trade would nave sufficient spirit to stay the torrent of downward degradation into which they were certainly going ; that they would evince that power of intelligence , that moral courage which -would enable them to achieve a reform greater than any other ¦ which had taken place in the world . Reforms , hitherto , had not generally been for the benefit of the working classes ; but for the tipper ranks ef society . 'i o achieve

      this great measure of Reform they needed no physical force , all they required was union and determination . A mighty power lay in the possession of the trade aocieti-. s of Britain which had never yet been exercised as it ought upon these great national questions—( hear , hear ) . Ha trusted they , would determine t'J iaate such use of passing events as to turn them to the benefit of the working population . It remained with them to say whether they wwuldgo forward with the mighty power they possessed , cohcentratiog the intelligence and the industry of their body to the reforms now in contemplation ; They had been told that they were not fit to exercise the power of legislation ; that if they had a share in the making of the laws tiiey would destroy property anl produce anarchy arid confusion

      throughout the laad . What ! the men who produce all the wealth—all the property in existence—destroy the fruit of their own labour ! It was a ba 3 e calumny —a foul libel upon the working man to assert snob an opinion—( hear , hear ; . It was the base eumberers of the earth—it was those , who took all from them and gave them nothing in return ,- that Were the destroyers of property : H « s felt bitterly indignaatat heating such assertions from men who must know they were false-They knew too well the value of property to conspire for its destruction ; they had taken too much ea * a &a ^ - pains to produce it to be guilty of such insanity- ; Tibey wasted to preserve property , to enact good Ia « w » Shafc the produce of the earth might be more e ^ aitakb $ ! < lifitributed . AU they desired to destroy was class legislation- ( hear , hear ) . They wanted to aUato thei £ | ast position ia the Legislature ; and until this was effected ,

      he conld see no prospect of theii condition "fteing&Hieflted . He had ever been the advocate of trade-Bocfeisies , yet they were fat from being ao fornu ^ able tte > % hey might be rendered . They saw one trade afteir afidther driven into the very earth . It made hta > ery * Htort bleed to see men involved in poverty and wretchedness , by causes which they could not control F wfiai ^ iurtlie cause that poverty and intelligence seemed ' -to ^ rbgres 3 tpgether ; that surrounded by the elements or wealth , they should be involved In destitution ? Wbutd ^ hey allow this * slate of things to continue ? Wonld they not press onward with the great body of their * feaowworkinj men , until they had attained thetfpdliHcal rights ? It was for them ae a trade to nnsw ^ this question . The celebrated Bentham said it was oiily by keeping the ruling few uneasy , that they coultf hope for success . He hopud they would act upon that maxim .

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      4 THE IOETHERN STAR . '¦ " . / '¦ ' ¦ - . . _^ ^ ^ ^ ;; : ' - ^^ - ^

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      THE NEW EXECUTIVE . We call attention , ia a most especial manner , to tho letter of the Executive to the members of the National Charter Association throughout the empire . The prudence of the people and tbeir fitness for the discharge of the electoral duties of freemen will be now tested , and wo cannot doubt proved abundantly , by tha discreet exercise of their right in choosing men to guide and steer tho vessel of Chartism at the most critical period of its voyage .

      Much of the future success or failure of the efforts of the people after right depends on the character of the men chosen to this important office . Sound judgment , calmness and firmness of purpose , and the most unflinching integrity , should , in the members of this body , be linked with untiring energy and prudent zeal . Let every man , therefore , before nominatinga candidate , ponder well and seriously upon his character , and consider that he is in a great measure confiding to that man ' a courage , honesty , and temper , the destinies of the whole movement . Let none , then , be nominated for this office who are not well known , and whose

      character for clear-sighted intelligence and stern honesty stands not " above suspicion . " Of all men in the world the Executive must be out-and-out men . They must be such as enjoy the entire confidence of the entire country—not merely of a section or of a cabal . They must be backbone Chartists ; wedded to the whole Charter ; wedded to the working men , the architects of their own fortunes , the saviours of themselves . No half-and-half man , no " new-move" progressive-advancement man , no " complete-suffrage" O'Connellite , no short-sightedsimpleton ( however honest and sincere a Chartist he may be ) with his eyes full of middle-class snuff is fit for nomination on this committee . There never was a time when it was more necessary for the Chartist body to look well before they

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      THE "COMMONS" HOUSE . We commend to our readers the speech of Mr . Duncombb on the Bribery Committee . It is refreshing to find one man among suoh a gang honest enough to make confession of the character of all . Not of course that any body ia surprised at Mr . Duncombe ' s statements , since the character of the " Honourable" (!) House is pretty well and generally known ; but it is pleasing to find 6 ne among them honest enough to own it .

      Splendid And Costly Present To The Readers Of The "Northern Star."

      SPLENDID AND COSTLY PRESENT TO THE READERS OF THE "NORTHERN STAR . "

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      £ 0 < Beat < erg * m& Comgponuentsu

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  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), May 21, 1842, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct754/page/4/