Current:

Northern Star (1837-1852), 19th February 1842, Edition 5 of 5, Page 7, Untitled Article

Page 7
Page 7
7 of 8

On this page

  • Text (10)
  • Transcript

    • 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.

      Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.

      Untitled Article

      IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT . j ( Continued from our sixth page . J gsia tfc&t the principles of his Government "were for deiBg & * &Y with all restrictions upon trade—that the ¦ yoiee bad gone forth—that the b&nd--writing ¦ was on ibs toH , and that he who run could re&d it . The electors did read it , and gare the Noble Lord his reply— ( laughter . ) What said Mr . Baines , of the Leeds Jlercuryl he declared that it "was not the landed interest , . but the manufacturers "who returned the present two Honourable Members to the House as representatives of the West Riding of Yorkshire . The ma ufacturers then had , therefore , declared in favour of a sliding scale—( cheer ? . ) They had declared in favonr o ! a continuance of the Com Laws , and not for a total repeal of them—i cheers . ) During the recess of

      Parliament he thought it his duty to mark the progress of the anti-Corn Lavr League , who were agitate ^ the country -with the most violent and infamous placards , headed Trita ihe word " the base , Woody , and brutal landlords that -were ieeping the bread of life from the poor , -while they vrere sending forth agitators who / were uttering falsehoods still more infamous than what were on those placards ; and to pay the expence of which the Leaguers were , during the past week , ' ; exposing" their wires and daughters at Manchester—( crits of oh , oh , " and lanshter . ) Whilst they were agitating the country , he" ( Mr . Ferrand ) made an inquiry into the truth tonnecied with their movements . He found that since the establishment of the Corn Laws , within the last thirty Tears , thb Messrs . Marshall , the great

      manufacturers , cf Leeds , had accumulated a fortune of ¦ C 2 000 000 , and had purchased immense landed States!!—shear , bear . ) This firm appeared not to be snsfied -with the carrying out of the principle of free fe »< le in this country , but they -were erecting large mills in Belgium . On the 2 » th January , 1842 , there appeared » advertisement in the Leeds InlelUgtnccr , -which stated that there -was a person of great commercial expetUnce in Brussels who was desirous of meeting a partner . The advertiser had a splendid estate of 100 acres of land , ¦ which was situated upon the banks of the Dedel , and in one of the most picturesque parts of the country , situated within about three miles from the railway at Louvaine , that he -would like a partner to join him in the -working of a flax and tew milL There

      ¦ was also a com mill upon the estate . Aye ( said Mr . Ferrand ; there was a secret about this corn mflT . The advertisement went on to my , that there were numerous populous villages in the neighbourhood—that vages were considerably lower than in any other part of the country—that an exact estimate had been made of the number of operatives necessary to be employed in a fi ^ x-miil of 19 , 000 or 15 , 000 spindles , at a saving of £ -2 , 060 annually—thear , hear . ) There -was the great secret ; the saving in the amount of wage ? . He would now mention a few instances , to show the injurious eS ^ rt of the Corn Laws on the manufacturers . The Hon . Member for Manchester ( Mr . 1 L Philips ) stood as high as ever in credit on the Exchange at Manchester . He was a man possessed of immense

      wealth—{ " hear , " and a laugh . ) Then there -was the Hon . Member for Salford ( Mr . Brotherton ) who had long since retired from trade , having amassed an enormons fortune ; but so horror-struck was he with the cruelty and oppression of the factory system , that he had determined to spend the remainder of his life in trying to remedy it—[ laughter . ) The Hon Member for Stockport ( Mr . Cobden ) had spent his life in accumulating money ; and when , night after night , he was asserting that the Corn Laws had ruined the manufacturers in Lancashire , \ t vcas running his mill night and day . ' . ' . '—( bear , hear . ) The Hon . Member for Bolton ( Dr . Bowring ) was remarkably urgent for a repeal of the Com Laws—ihear . ) He carried out free trade principles to Euch an extent against the

      public purse , that he had & right to be considered a freebooter —( krad laughter , and cries of " order . " ) He berged pardon if he had said a word too much ; but I he was quite catein that the working classes were ; much surprised that he should hare accepted £ 10 , 000 cf the public money—( laughter . ) In his ( Mr . Perrand ' s ) own neighbourhood he had made some inquiries i Mo the state of trade , and of the injurious effects of the Corn Laws upon the Corn-Law-Kepealing manulicturers ; and he would call the attention of the j Bouse to a placard dated tbe 8 th of May , 1841 . In ! the commencement of that month , ( when her Majesty's late Government were tottering to the fall ) a circular was issued throughout the country calling en their friends te agitate for a fixed duty on corn . One of

      Biess circulars found its way to Bingley , and a meeting of the land and mill-owners , and other persons interested in trade , waa held in that town , Win . Ellis , Esq ., in the chair . It was then stated that the stocking and woollen trade carried on in the parish , had been in a most depressed state for the last three or four years ; thai such depression had reduced to poverty and distress great numbers of tke working classes , who were wandering throuth the day in search of work in a state of miserable despondency ; and that this was to be attributed to the Corn Laws . The petition , which was of considerable length , contained a vast quantity of the phrases of tie Anti-Corn Law League—( laughter There were thirteen signatures attached to this petition , one copy of which was transmitted to the House of

      Commons , another to the House of Lords , and a third to the Secretary of State for the Home I > epartment , to be used by Mm in a certain quarter in order to obtain a dissolution of Parliament—( laughter . ) The Chairman of that meeting had realised a large sum of money , purchased a mill , as well as considerable landed property -, and during the last three or four years , when the cotton and worsted trade were aid to be in such a depressed state , he had erected one of the largest tp'Hs in the country , and taken another . ' The second signature wa 3 that of a gentleman , a member of a firm which , during the last twenty-five or thirty years , had been nmming four very large cotter-mills ; they had bought estates worth £ 18 , 000 a year . They were possessed of an income of £ 25 , 000 a year ; and wereitill

      proceeding in the purchase of property ard the accumulation of wealth . ' The next signature was that of a person who was a linen-draper thirty years ago , bet , - » io , during the last three cr four years , had purchased one null and teken two more , which were £ lted up with po ^ er-looms . This person was now carrying on what in Yorkshire was called " a rattling trade "—iloud togater . 1 The fourth on the list was an operative paper-maker twelve years ago ; but heliael , during the kst three or four years , purchased one of the largest mills in the county , some landed estates , kept Mb carriage and pair , and lived in a " rattling" style—{ confinned laughter . ) The fifth signature was that of a manufacturer , who during the last twenty years had made £ 40 , 000 cr £ 50 , 000 in the worsted trade ; and

      curing the time that trade was so deeply depressed he eected one of the largest cotton mills , and fitted it np "frith potrer-kwms . The sixth was a grocer in the town , " * fco had accumulated a yerj nice ineome , and educated tij family in the first-rate style . This gentleman happened tr > be a dissenter ; and , to prove his haired of the church , he had brought up one of his sons to enter a , and receive a little of its wool ?—( laughter . ) The n = rt individual on the list , three or four years ago purchased a very large mill in the parish , and a considerable losntity of land surrounding ii . The mill ¦ was fitted Ep Vitli power-looms , and he also "was carrying on a " rattling" trade—( laughter . ) Then came ihesignatture of » n&nafscttrer 'Who had fitted up his Tmll with power-Iwnu , and that of a person who had made a large forfece in trade and then retired from it . The remaining

      ssa . nres were those x > I persons in Eome degree con-. Jseted . with those whom he bad already mentioned— , fear , hear , and laughter . ) He wished this was the j odj- matter connected with the parties to whom he I ^ referred . Bnt- he would now mention a fact which . * onid prevent Hon . Members from crying "tear , ; csa ! ' bo readily . The chairman of that meeting , the ; nan -who placarded the parish of Bingley with these ; resolutions , pointing out the landed proprietors as the j Persons irho jud . bronght misery and distress on the j » ori peopie ; this man , at the time he occupied that > * = * » , was en tbe point of taking a mill . Soon after- } * ards that mill was fitted up with power-looms . But i ™* that gentleman go into Bingley market-place and i ® J to the people ; Why stand ye idle , all the day j

      ™ 8- ' Why eat ye the bread of idleness ? Why do Joa cot come into my mill and work ? " Did he do t ™ . ? Kg '! He went into the county of Lancaster , * fi £ re that Infamous conspiracy existed between the t " 0 Qi Law Commissioners and tbe cotton spinners for SapoJpoEe of equalising wages , and reducing the 10 & * tent that had been advanced upon the wages of the P °° » "weavers . He went there , and picked np a large ^ B&bei of poor families , whe had been reduced to such * tote of misery and distress by their former em-Ppias that they were glad to eat their food from off ™ s * dtmghilla ! He bronght these poor people to J ** i £ vn of Bingley , there to amass another fortune "" a their mews in his new mill—( hear , hear . ) « forgot the claims of the working classes of

      • Bm glej-kg forgot tQQgg men TrtjQjn te j ^ d excited to a 2 Itci of desperation—he forgot that h « along with cti 2 iaimfacturers had reared and bred them in the Jf ^— & oast them of ! and they were now in a state « the utmost wretchedness—he had left them to" wan-Q through the day in search of work in a state of "serable despondency . " The fact was he dare not ask aie Bingley people to labour for him for the paltry sum »* got these starving leavings of the Lancashire null ° * ners Trilling to take . ' Hon . Members did not now 07 " hear , hear , " and " laugh " " Ko , they blushed at ¦ " i * disclosure ; and they ought to trtmble at such an f ^ Posue ? This man had sprung the mine too Boon for tee

      antLCcrn Law League at Manchester . He had let tot the secret of the great anti-Corn Law excitement j-brongnout the -country ; he had let the working classes 111 nonhof England know their motives , and what * onld be the consequence of the repeal of the Com £ ** s ? That consequence would be the reduction of ^ ar wages—( cheers )—to the Bame level as wages on *« Continent ; the filling of the mills with power ^ ° as , and the " casting , qf ^ of the - W « rkpeople to _ "SsBder through the day in search of trork in a state ^ ¦ ffiiserable despondency . "— ( hear , hear . ) The antir * fi Law advocates assert that the great number of the ^ Bfacturera in the country were insolvent , and that 7 ? Corn Laws are the cause nf that inpolvencv . He

      : ?•*• . > tad ingairea into that assertion , and he was gy to Esy it was true as far as the insolvency went £ * Corn Laws , however , were not the cause of that ^ wTeccj . The reason was this—they never were ^ at ha their lives —( loud laughter . ) He wouid ^* Tccr to describe to the house the manufacturers ^ JT , 1101 ^ of England at the present day . There " * out a remnant left of the hiih-mindedlsndWion-

      Untitled Article

      oor&bleclass of men whoformerly had raised the trade and commerced thecountry t » tie highest pitch of respectability . There were butthe remnant of tho « emen whowalked about the streets wifchioneaty depleted in theii countenances . There were but few of thece men left sow . There were a few , he admitted , who tried to tread in their steps ; butthe remainder were men who knew no feoundsto their insatiable thirst after wealth ; they were gamblers in trade . They were a set of men who had been set up in trade by the joint-stock banks—( bear , hear , and cheers)—and many of these banks were little better than storea for the protection of swindling . They got their namei entered on the jointj stock bank books ; they thsn went to a woolstapler , S and offered to buy a quantity of wool of him . They

      referred him to the joint-stock bank . The answer was , » Oh , they are-highly respectable ; they have their names on our books . " They purchased the wool at three months' credit , then turned it by their power mills into goods , and by the following week they had it in the market , and sold it in the market for ready money . But they were forced to EelL The consequence was , they had to sacrifice a laige amount to ths merchant who bought to sell . They did not pay for it at the end of thres months—they had two months further credit , and they had to pay five months'interest to the woolstapler . The consequence was , that these men seemed to go on very prosperously as long as there was a call for the goods in the market ; but when there came the slightest stagnation i * trade , they

      immediately broke , and what a scene there was in the Court of Bankruptcy —( hear , and loud cheers . ) They had bad exposures in tbe Court of Bankruptcy , which shewed the effects that such a state of things * produced , when the honest merchant and manufacturer were broken-hearted in consequence of tha losses they have to sustain from such men . It often happened , also , that such men spent the money that had been confided to them by their unsuspecting neighbours or workpeople , and placed in their hands in tTust for their families . This was not unusual ; and the result was that the unfortunate families were reduced to beggary . These men were scarcely beyond the verge of the Bankruptcy Court before they were enabled to Btart in business again . They got some friend , if they could pay

      some \ S . or Is . 6 d . in tbe ponnd , to come forward and prove for a large debt , and probably to become the petitioning creditor , and they soon managed to get their certificate and start again , and run the same race over thaVtheLdid ^ feefore . He now came to -what were the designs of the Corn Law League . The commencement of this Corn Law Leagne toek place three years ago ; they att-mpted at first only to try for an alteration in tbe Com Laws . They soon found they had very few supporters in the conntry . They then held out terms to the enemies of the CJiurch , and said that if they would join them , as soon as they had carried the repeal of the Corn LawsA then the Established Church should be attacked . After this offer had beenmade to the country , tbe Hon . and Ir&rned Member for Cork was invited

      over to take his seat at their dinner . He then declare « in the presence of these manufacturers , that they were possessed of sufficient wealth in Manchester to buy up all the landed estates of tfie nobility of- England . He also asserted that " the landlords' venison was mixed with the widow's tear , and that their claret was died with the orphan's blood "—a ralher cool assertion of the Hon . Member far Cork , when it was remembered that he had existed for many years out of the pence extracted from the poor . But he would ask what had the farmers of England to expect from the cotton lords who were able to purchase up the landed interest ? It was their principle , when they purchased an estate , immediately to have it re-valned . They carried the

      principle of the ledger into their rent-roll , the rents were doubled . . He had known many families in his part of the conntry ruined by the oppression of these men , when from the proceeds of the workpeople in their mills they had amassed sufficient to enable them to purchase . an estate in land , and become landlords . He remembered an instance which took place many years ago , where a poor farmer had his rent doubled . Tie struggled on for a few years to try to me ° . t it , for he could not bear to leave the spot . He had to pay a few hundreds which he had saved , as increased rental to his landlord ; and when tbe time came that his cattle were seized for rent , he . died of a broken heart . His wife was not long before she followed him . Their eldest son , just bursting into manhood , endeavouied

      still to keep the family together ; bnt the last which he ( Mr . F . ) had heard of him was . , that reason had lost her empire over his brain , and thai he had become the inhabitant of an asylum . He would a&k what the members of this Com Law League wanted ? They wanted to increase their profits by reducing the price of libour . That wa 3 tha secret of their " grand boon . " They wished to become the corn merchants of England . They wished to convert one part of their mills into a granary , and the other part into machinery to grind the corn—( a laugh . ) Hon . Members might laugh ; they could not deceive the working classes ; they had tried to make them believa differently ; bnt with all their agitatsrs they conld n < t do it Thus the poor of England were to go down to these men , into the

      manufacturing districts , with money in their sacks , to buy corn . Th 3 t was part of the system ; but what came ntxt ? Had Honourable Members never heard of the truck system ? ( Hear , hear . ) Had they never heard ef labourers having their wages paid in goods ? That waa part of the system- But he would now refer more particularly to the treatment of the poor by the manufacturers in the "North of England ; and fce would produce before the House such a syttem of tyranny , oppression , and plunder as was disgraceful to a civilised country . When the poor went to receive their work . of tbe manufacturers , they found it now consisted of a very inferior article . The wool , and the warps , which were dealt out to them , was bo poor that they scarcely could comb the wool , or convert the warps into pieces .

      On the Saturday came the period which ought to be tbe sweetest of the week for the working man , —when he ought to receive the price of his labour , the reward of his toil ... He went with his work , and who received it ? Not the master of the mill ; no , but an overlc . oker . Tee overlooktr examined it ., and foand fault with it . He said " Yon have done this work ill ; I . must dednct so much from your combing , or your weaving ; ' and the poor -weaver ^ who -were only receiving 3 s . Cd . or 41 . a week , were constantly muktad by these overlookers , who had their wages paid from what they deducted frem these poor people and a per csctage on the amount . ' Then whit came next ? The poor people had no * the small remnant paid in moneyit was paid in goods , in rotten flour , and " cheap corn . "

      When the poor man carried it home to his wife and family , ef : er in vain endeavouring to induce his master to pay him his wages in money , he found t " 3 at the flour which he had taken home the week before and given to his family they had not been able to consume . It had made the children sick . He asserted that this uxts iridh . ' He bad it from ihe months of hundreds of tbe working classes . And tbe men who treated their labourers in this horrible manner were the men for ¦ whom the ' anded interest of England were to be destroyed ! These were the msn for whom the yeomanry were to be trampled under foot ! These were the men who were to become the possesors cf the English soil These -were the men "who "were mining the character of British merchants &S . 0 . manufacturers on the Oontitent :

      Tbfcse were the men who moved and had their being for monty alone ! ' They cared not how they got itwhat cruelty and oppression they inflicted , so long as they amassed -wealth from the sweat of the poor man ' s brow . Ttey refused him the price of his labour ! They looked for nothing but enormous profits . ' They declared there was no religion in trade . ' They were , to use the language of Mr . Burke , a set of men " who made their ledger into their Bible , their counting-house into their church , and their money into their god . " He had heard a great deal said about the principles of free trade , aad that they were to save the country . li had happened that during the recess two Noble Lords —the Member for the city ef London and the Member fer Tiveiton—had . been something like the poor of the

      parish of Bingley . They had been " wandering in search of employment , and could not find it . " ( Loud laughter and cheers . ) There were kind and humane persons at Bridgenorth who had drawn them up an address of condolence . He had not a copy of the Neble Lord ' s reply , but he ( Mr . Ferrand ) remembered that he asserted that the principles of free trade were sound , and that the Right Hon . Baronet ( Sir K . Peel ) had an easy task before him . He ( Mr . Ferrand ) supposed the Noble Ltrd bad been trying to prove his assertion in the last few days in that House . ( Laughter . ) The Noble Lord the late Secretary for Foreign _ Affairs stated , in answer to an address presented to him from his supporters , that he had endeavonred to apply to the commercial legislation of the country the principles

      w&ich had long been acknowledged as forming the only sure foundation for the permanent prosperity of thecountry . He ( Mr . Ferrand ) confessed he was a very dull person ; bnt had tried to find out what were the sound principles of free trade . If gentlemen opposite were tobe believed , Smith , M "Culloch , Kicardo , and Hubkisson had only seen the subject through a glass darkly ; it was reserved for the Hon . Member for Wolverhamptor > to dispel the cleuds . The Hon . Members for Bolton and Strond were to become bright constellations in the science—( great ' laughter . ) The Hon Member for Dumfries ( Mr . T ? axt ) would be the evening star—( renewed laughter . ) The two Noble Lords opposite would be the sun and moon in this expansive , well-defined social system . The Hon . Member then proceeded to read several extracts from the works of Adam Smith , M'Cullocb , and Malthus , with the view of proving

      that their views were at variance with those entertained by the Hon , Members to whom he had referred , and that they were favourable to the protection of . domestic industry . He concluded by saying that he would appeal to the landed proprietors of England , and ask them whether they wonld assist the anti-Corn Law League * of Manchester in carrying out their tyranny , oppression , and wicked designs for the reduction of the wages of the working classes . Mr . Clat moved the adjournment of the debate . Mr . Pesibebtox obtained leave to bring in a Bill to enable his Boyal Highness the Prince of Wales to jrant leases of the Duchy of Cornwall . The " Bill was read a first time , and ordered to be read a second time on Friday . - # The other orders of the day were then disposed of , ind the House adjourned at a quarter to one o ' clock .

      Untitled Article

      SOWERBY . —On Shiove Tuesday a ball was holden at this place , the proceed s of which were to goto tbe forthcoming Convention . ^

      Untitled Article

      NATIONAL PETITION . TO THB PEOPLE OF SCOTLAND . We . the undersigned Delegates of the West Midland District of Scotland take this opportunity of addressing you at the present time upon a subject ; of some Importance to the success of the common cause in which we RTe all engaged—the Peple's Charte * . The Chartists in Scotland looked forward to the meeting to be held in Glasgow upon the 3 rd of January , 1842 , as one of great importance in its results to the cause of Chartism . A' united coarse of action in pursuit of a common object , the people expected as the labours of the Convention . In this , we think , the conntry have not been disappointed—their proceedings , with one exception , being characterised by prudence , firmness , and conciliation—the exception to which we

      have alluded being the discussion and the vote in the Convention upon the National Petition . This discussion , showed more of local feeling and national prejudice than might have been expected in a body of patriotic and intelligent men struggling against class legislation . Union of action with both England and Ireland all who took part In the discussion admitted to be necessary to onr future success . Why , then , it may be asked , oppose the naming of two great grievances complained against by the working population in these conntries , and determinedly upheld by those who profit by class legislation . Such conduct was neither wise nor dignified on their part If the discussion upon the subject matter of the Petition showed a proud and narrow spirit , the vote upon the Petition in the

      Convention ought to have consigned the idea of a new petition to oblivion . The casting vote of the Chairman ni&kes a legal decision in a meeting ; but when the Chairman claims a vote as a member in the meeting , the casting vote in a popularly convened meeting in such circumstances makes its legality doubtful . In this case it makes the Petition his petition , and those who sign it along with him . It can claim no higber authority . It cannot be looked upon as the petition of the representatives of the Chartists of Scotland . But there are- other objections of another kind to be stated . The delegate from Arbroath , Montrose , Brechin , and Forfar voted for the new Petition , while the towns he represented in this Convention had , six weeks previous , adopted the National Petition entire , and had largely signed it , and are doing so stilL It is reported that other delegates in this

      Convention have acted a similar part upon the National Petition . For these reasons , and others which might be brought forward , we think the new ' pttltiou cannot be regarded as the act of the people of Scotland , dene through taeir representatives in the Convention held at Glasgow , 3 rd January last . Those who might be inclined to sign this new petition npon the ground that it was one adoptod by the representatives of the Caartists of Scotland , will now know upon what authority it resti its claim to be considered a National Petition , and they will act accordingly . The people of England and Ireland will learn from these facts the real feelings and sentiments of the Chartists of Scotland , and the amount of signatures to the old and new petitions will prove the extent cf sympathy felt for the wrongs of Ireland and England by the people of Scotland .

      As one of tbe six Central Committees of Scotland , wo have ever taken an active part in ChartiBt agitation , Chartism being the public voice throughout the whole of our district . In all our past struggles we have looked to England and Ireland aa our fellow-labourers in the same glorious cause—the emancipation of the people from class legislation in the three kingdoms . Under the old nationality , local evils peculiar to the country must exist ; these will be best known to the people themselves , and we think they ought to be stated in every petition praying for the Charter , as the remedy to remove these evils . These considerations induced the people in our district to adopt the National Petition , and we call upon all other Committees to be active in signing the National Petition , arid to make known their sentiments to the people of Ireland and England npon this interesting subject , and shew there is no division among the people of the three kingdoms , this being the enly way to teach cur leaders to represent the people , not themselves .

      Geobge Rattiuy , John Drummo . vd , Andrew M'Kenzie , Thos . Bennie , David Harhower , James Pat ^ rson , Johx Marshall , John Harbower , Wm . Cameron . Coalsnaughton , 5 th February , 1842 .

      Untitled Article

      ADRRESS OF THE MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL LIVING IN BRIGHTON 10 THE MEMBERS OF THE ASSOCIATION . Brethren , —The time having arrived in which it is our duty to yield up the authority with which we have been invested , as a portion of / the great Council cf the National Charter Association , we cannot give up our tffice without addressing to you some few observations as a retrospect of tbe past year . In this retrospect we shall , of course , confine ourselves to events more particularly associated with our immediate locality . Whatever opinions may be entertained of us by our ftliow members in Brighton , we feel assured that we have done nothing to forfeit the confidence that was reposed in us at the first ; if we have not done as much as might have been wished for , we know that the members generally being fully aware of the restricting circumstances under which we have been situated , will make every reasonable allowance for what we have not done , in furtherance of the great object in view .

      We have been , and are very much restricted and cramped in our exertions in this town . The greatest of our restrictions is , of course , tbe general poverty of that class to which we are nevertheless proud to belong , namely , the really industrious class of the people . The next restriction we have had to experience is , the want of a larger and more commodious place of meeting . This is a restriction which we Lave loBg and severely felt , and we sincerely deplore the fact that a spacious reom fur meetings and social entertainment ,

      to which the members could at all times have access , is yel , and must for a considerable time , we fear , be a desideratum . It has been our wish , and the "wish too of our friends , to see an establishment made where we should not only be able to hold large and frtquent meetings , and get up social entertainments ; but also , to provide reading and coffee rooms , and a home for the best tried veterans whom we have the honour to possess . Moat sincerely do we hopo that the time will come when arrangements of such a nature can be entered into .

      Other restrictions upon our energies have arisen from the prejudice and party spirit that have been exhibited towards us . But in proportion as our real objects become understood by the other classes of society , a great deal of that mistrust and jealousy will die away . We have but to adhere stedfaatly to the path we have h'therto pursued , and we shall find that our own strength -will increase , "while the forces opposed to us will diminish . Having thus alluded to the mistrust and prejudice that have started up to thwart our purposes , ¦ we cannot bat recal to your mind a meeting that was convened by the Eigb Constable , in tbe beginning of 1841 , to adopt measures in opposition to the introduction of the Poor Law Amendment Act into Brighton . We , as your Council , considered it expedient to attend that great and important meeting , and the zsal manifested

      on that occasion by all the Brighton Chartists , produced results that must never be forgotten . More sincerely opposed to the tyrannous operation ol the New Poor Law Bill than the other political parties , despite their great professions of sympathy , we felt a strong conviction that a petition praying for the ¦ withholding of the operation of the New Poor Law Bill from Brighton could in no way be invalidated by a forcible statement of the cause of all oppressive enactments , and the real means of arresting the evil complained of . Tbe opposition which we experienced you all remember ; but you will rememcer , too , that the triumph was on our side . To that event we attach great importance , for it was on our part an exhibition of moral strength that nont had given us credit for possessing . From that time we have , as a party , gained ground ; if we cannot achieve what we desire , we have shewn that we are not so miserably weak as we have been said to be .

      With this we are led to associate > though happening more recently , namely , the election for this borough . There are , unquestionably , a great many who affect to ridicule the position we assumed on that occasion ; but while we are sensible of the goed effects of our exertions at that time , in the business of the election , we can afford to bear tbe ridicule that may be levelled at us . We had long borne the credit of being able to " make mischief , " as it is called , . at our town meetings ; but it was reserved for the election of 1841 to shew the aristocratic parties that workiDg men were capable of taking a prominent place on the hustings , and that they could secure a degree of courtesy and attention not always paid to rank and wealth . By this event , arid our own exertions on the occasion , we established ourselves 83 a political party , and it will be our own fault if we do not retain and improve our position .

      While on this topic , we feel it our duty to expiess the esteem and gratitude which we entertain towards Mr . Brooker , who stood forth in so disinterested and kind a manner as the representative of eui principles on the hustings , and throughout the recent election . To that gentleman we owe much ; and nethirig can afford us greater pleasure than to record his disinterested adherence to the principles of civil and religious liberty ^ To him , as well as to us , it will afford a lasting gratification to have witnessed from the hustings so triumphant a Bhow of hands in favour of the principles he advocated .

      As one of the results of the recent election , we shall be pardoned in recalling to your mind the courteous manner in which the use of the Town Hall was , not long since , extended us ; on which occasion the second National Petition was enthusiastically adopted , and when , too , onr proceedings were sanctioned by the presence of the Borough Members , and of many others who had hitherto deemed us too dangerous and illiterate to be associated with . Contrasted with this we must also recal to your rememberance the fact , that when , in the previous Dec we wanted the use of the large room of the Hall , for a meeting to memoralize the Queen on behalf of the ex-

      Untitled Article

      patriated patriots , Frost Williams , and Jones , our request was moot patti « 5 Olaily opposed . May we then notybope that . the paltry prejudices wbJch bad existed to our debriment are fast passing away , and .-ttiat ere long we shall enjoy what we have a right to enjoy , the unre * Btricted expression of political sentiments . ^ Connected with the proceedings of the past year , was our petition on behalf of poor Btolbetry . We nad flattered ourselves that In effecting his removal to his present prison-house , his condition and treatment would have been greatly improved ; it la a source of sincere pleasure to hear that our hopes have not been disappointed We trust that fresh exertions will be made more effectively on his behalf .

      The viBit o ! Mr . M'Douall , and more recently of Mr . O'Brien to . Br ighton , ; are circumstances that we shall all remember with extreme gratification . That these gentlemen have been the unflinching advocates of the principles ^ of Chartism , is in itself enough to claim our respect and attachment : that they have endured im ^ prisonment on out behalf ,. must r > ndor them more worthy of our gratitude and attachment . In the commencement of these observations we remarked that the poverty of the industrious classes is

      a great restriction on their political exertions . We have deepJy experienced this . That this is the fact , dpea nevertheless enhance beyond all praise / their enthusiastic readiness to subscribe to the many laudable funds that have been established for the purposes of the association , and to meet the necessities ' of-the injured ; We feel great pleasure in bearing testimony to the promptitude of the Brighton Chartists in this respect , and their self-denial in responding by pecuniary aidi to the wants of their Chartist friends in various parts of thekmirdom .. : ' : :.- - :

      Thus in our immediate locality , during the past year , subscriptions have been raised for several praiseworthy purposes to an amount not less than from sixty to seventy pounds , a sum that cannot be regarded as trifling , when the number ¦ . ¦¦' and the circumstances of the subscribers are considered . Our correspondence has been very great and extensive—as you-ate already aware very cheering correspondence has been received from Chichester , Southampton , && , && We trust that ere long we shall hear of the flag of Chartism being firmly planted in several places around us . "¦ . "' We have now briefly referred to the principle circumstances of the past year , and with these observations we give up the the office we have fulfilled , most earnestly trusting that as Brighton has beon , it will continue to be , ah . important locality in the wide spread tract of the National Charter Association .

      Signed , Wiixiam Woodward , George Giles , John Allen ,. Rout . Lonsdeli ., Robert Cooling , Reuben Allcorn , Frederick page , John Page , William Flower ,, sub-Treasurer . Nathaniel Morling , sub-Secretary . Brighton , Feb , 2 nd , 1842 .

      Untitled Article

      LORD ASHLEY AND THE TEN HOURS' FACTORY QUESTION . A general meeting of delegates from the Short Time Committees of the West Riding of the county of York , established to promote the ( legislative adoption ef a Ten Hours' Factory Bill , was convened at ine Now Inn ; Bradford , on Wednesday , the j ) th of February , inst ., whbnthe following address was unanimously agreed to : — .: •¦ ' ¦ ¦ . . ' . - . ¦ ; ¦ ¦ ¦ ' ¦ ¦ '¦ ¦

      To the Right Hon . Lord Ashley , Sf . P . We , the delegates of the Short Time Committees of the West Riding , having assembled for the purpose of considering the course which ought to bo pursued on the factory question , feel ourselves called upon publicly to acknowledge your Lordship ' s letter of tho 2 nd inst . intimating that " Sir Robert Peel had signified his opposition to the Ten Hours' Bill ; " we cannot conceal the fact that we feel deeply disappointed and grieved at this announcement . Our hopes and expectations bad been raised , not merely from the justness of the cause we have prevailed on your Lordahip to advocate for us in the House of ComraonB , hut from the representations of our deputation , thut her Majesty ' s Ministers appeared to understand the true interests of the country , and were impressed with the necessity of further amelioration in the condition of children : and young persons employed in factories . ¦''' ., -. ¦ ¦¦ ' . ' ¦

      We are indeed grateful to your Lordship for the renewed expression cf your determination to persevere in your endeavours to obtain ah enactment which shall better the condition of the working classes and be of permanent advantage to our country . We promise our continued co-operation with your Lordship , and will employ every constitutional means in demanding an improvement of a system which is rendered ihde fensible because demoralizing and destructive in its influences , by labour too protracted for social and moral , as well as physical health . Surely , my Lord , also , we have it right to feel convinced of the propriety of pur claim when we perceive an almost uniform ¦ diBposition in the public mind favourable to the Ten Hours' Bill . ^ Tone but the avaricious , the prejudiced , or the ignorant , attempt to justify the existing system , and thoir

      justification of it never appears before an open and public company for discussion . Nor can ahy que&tion of importance be instanced where so fe \ v ptt-tiims have ever been presented to the legislature : as against the Ten Hours' Bill . When we reflect on the reasonableness and necessity of the measure , which has been entrusted to your Lordship ' s care , when we advert te the fact that even after we have obtained what we ask for , young persons will still have to be confined and tolled in a factory atmosphere from six o ' clock in the morning to six in the evening with only intervals for meals , ( for this would be the operation of the Ten Hours * Bill , ) we are persuaded that the day must speedily arrive when tbe common sense and justice of humanity will establish the measure as one essential to the character of a civilized country . ^ : ;

      We sincerely sympathise -with your Lordship ; and regret that your patriotic exertions in ? behalf of the operative classes , are not appreciated ¦''¦?• in certain quarters" according to their merits , but we have not lost our hopes that when the question shall again bo brought before Parliament , tho claims of injured factory children will be paramount Trusting that your Lordship may be blessed by Divine Providence in nil your efforts to advance the welfare of our common country , We remain , my Lord , Your Lordship ' s most obedient and mo 3 t gintefnl servants , ( Signed on behalf of the Meeting of Delegates from the Short Time Committees of the West Riding , ) Matthew EalMe , Secretary . Bradford , February 9 th , 1842 .

      Untitled Article

      TO JOHN ASS . My dear John , —You must pardon me if for once in addressing you 1 feel it necessary to sacrifice politeness tot : uth , and in lieu of adopting your favourite name of Bull , use that to which your conduct indisputably entitles you ! The feull has somes noble qualities in him , such as courage , impatience of injury , and no lack of strength to avenge it . The aas is not without his sqod qualities either , but they are of the passive 3 oit , He is a capital fellow for receiving feicks . rind , thumps without wincing —so are you , John ! He patiently suffers hunger and

      cold and wet , arid a comfortless stab e after a bard ; day'a work , or forced idleness—arid so do you , John j he tamely enough bears any load his four legs will enable him to Btand under , and his master rnny please to lay upon him , and never thinks of throwing off until his back is nearly broken—neither do you * John ! but it . is useless to carry the parallel of your relative conditions and temperament further , for were it continued till Doomsday , , the result ; must be , most unquestioBiibly , that you ate more entitled to the appellation of Ass than Bull .

      And nowj John , prick up your loDg ears and listen while a few words are addressed to you by . one of-those who , like yourself , is reduced .-to the condition of a beast of burthen , but has not enough of the ass in his composition to forget that he is a man , and , as such , has inherent rights vested in him bynaturo and society which he is not disposed passively to have trampled by any one , and certainly riot by those to wliom he owes no affection , and from whom he receives no benefit . Ours is a theatrical sort of world , John ; an ^ in no circumstances of it is itmore so than as regards politic ? . As far as we are concerned in such matters the curtain has o $ ce more been lifted up , and the drama commenced ; whether the entertainment provided for us will be tragic oi farcical , time , T suppose , Will abo-w

      but as respects the cast-off parts' there can be little doubt , if we may judge Jrbm the past , that broad farce will occupy the talents of our principal performers and the every-day business connected with the suffering or tragedy department will be left as usual to the millions , who are by this time so well accustomed to its various incidents that they require no aid from the proraptor todelineate their respective character with all the frightfulness of truth ; for instance we have dally in one place or other of her Majesty ' s dominions , some thousands of them perishing with cold and hunger , with abundance stareing them in the face to mock and flout

      them by the contrast . I calHhis tragedy . Wehaveat home broken-hearted families separated from each other , not by the grave under the dispensation of providence , for that would be natural , but by Union Bastiles , under the intervention of human laws that are not natural . ' This is tragedy , too ! Then we have industry ; walking barefooted and hungry about the streets , to avoid the noise of his half-famishing and half-clothed childr « at home J—the mother forced by dire necessity to steal , thatlier children may not perish before her eyes—and those children made outcasts froth society , because a mother ' s feelings overcome her reverence for those laws by which her family was beggared .

      Here I think Is enough of tragedy for the millions , and excellently well do the parts become them , for , like you , John , they de : ight in exhibiting their powers of endurance . But I want to learn , if I can , whether the same distribution of parts Is likely to continue through another season ? Because , if so , I mnst at once enter my protest against the amangement . . . . ¦¦'¦'¦ ¦ ' ' ¦ ¦ ' ¦ : '¦ ' . ¦ ' : ¦ '¦¦ ¦' ¦ ¦ ;¦ ¦ : V- - '¦ The " Stars" of our Home Company have for some time past had a pretty good spell in the winning , or laughing line , and have long reserved to themselves all the provocatives to broad grins and unrestrained merriment that could be invented for their gratification ; Thus they have had a royal christening , witli royal

      Untitled Article

      sponsors , and Jordan waters , and junkettings , and feasjtings and dancings , and all sorts of royal glorifications at Windsor , as if the only business of such performers upon earth was to "eati drink , and be merry . " That ifl amusing enough , as times go , is it ' not , John ? Then they have a royal visitor to see us , and right royally ; John , have the craven-hearted , lickspittle , miserable fcllowers of your family in London ran about after his carriage wheels , to get the honour of a splaab of tbe mod whirled op by ttie rapidity of his progress . This , too , is iardeal enough , forsure I but the best of the jskeia to wme . We have since been delighted by a grand gingerbread show to open a session of the collective wisdom of the natiphj enacted with as much pomp , parade , and botheration , as though a world was to be called into ; being by the mete flattering of a parcel of butterflies ' wings . ;

      John , the good sense of your family is by no means proportioned to the length ef its ears , or every window wouldhave been closed , every back turned as the insulting calvacade passed through the streets of this doomed metropolis . It strikes me , that the gorgeous banquets and more than oriental magnificence displayed at the Court , ( lnring the past week or two , would have excited a feeling of pain in the heart of a truly benevolent rule- of the miserable poor and starving people of ' this or any other country . Their condition does not , however , seem to have croseed the thoughts of our semi divinities , who have gone on revelling , and rioting , and wasting , as though enjoyment was co-extensive with eternity . Dives , feasting in his purple and fine linen , little heeded the Lazaiii who lay in rags and sickness perishiflg at his gate . But he had his reward . And why should we doubt tbe justice of providence or the hidden purposes of its wisdom ?

      But , friend John , the Parliament has met . What will it do for us ? Sball I tell you what it will do ? In one word—nothing ( Nothing that can possibly tend to diminish the means of enjoyment by the great will be dpne for the small—Bothing ' that can possibly trench upon the prerogatives , the splendour , the aggrandisement , the pleasures of royalty , will be touched for the henafit of the people . Nothing that will operate to lower rents—to diminish the value of the funds- ^ tb reduce the allowances of the palace , -will , be tbeughfc of for the advantage of tho poor . They will talk of 8 U 0 h things , and the present week 'will be wasted in adjourned debates upon the Corn question , which will leave off where it began , and after tremendous labour we shall see the mountain will bring forth a mouse .

      The grounds upon which I build this presumption are as follows : In the first place , the royal speech is full of self gratulation and bombastic nonsense , insincere expressions -of satisfaction and hollow protestations of future good , which those may believe that like them ; I do not Her Majesty is made to say , " my measure of domestic happiness is now comp ' et ? . " Good God J how can the ruler of this country , in its present condition ,, boast of the fulness of her domestic happiness , when she must know that the domestic happiness of thousands upon thousands of her people is utterly destroyed , that she may enjoy abundance f But why , if so , mock us with it ? Why recall to our miserable recollections the outrageous contrast between the condition of the rulers and ttie ruled .

      She tells her Commons she relies with entire confidence upon their disposition , that 'while they enforce the principles of a wise economy , they will make that provision for the service of the country ( that is , for the gew-gaws and trappings of royalty , and the maintenance of its parasites ) , which the public exigences ( that is , class indulgences ) require , ' ¦' , ' She says , " I have observed with deep regret the continued distress of the manufacturing districts of the country—the sufferings and privations which have resulted from it have been borne Vvith most exemplary patience and fortitude . " Exemplary patience ! Yes , the patience of despair ! . the patience of exhausted energy ( the patience reduced by apathy ! by the utter abandonment of hope ! the fortitude of soulless indifference—of hearta crushed by suffering and whose only prospect upon earth is terminated by : a pauper ' s grave J . . . ¦ . ¦' •¦' . . ' . . ¦;¦ ' ' .-. ' '¦ •; " ; :..-.: ¦ ¦

      • And is there anything m these passages that can warrant an augury of future good—is there ought that can warrant the boast , '¦ ' " ' . that my measure of happiness is complete ? " ¦ la not the latter a vain conceit which the first boast of popular indignation will scatter to the elements ? : ' . ' . ¦ ¦; ¦ ''' : ¦ ¦ . ¦¦ . ¦ ¦]¦ ' ¦ . ¦ ¦ ,. : - ' . ' ¦ : ' . ¦ ; " Fine words butter no parsnips , " as Sancho Bays , nor will half a dozen sugared words in a royal speech , fill the bellies or satisfy the just demands of a Mong suffering , and most patient people . Ami , now my dear John , in conclusion , let me intreat

      you to bo up and doing—rally round the men of the Charter—assist them with your strength ; your patience , your determination . If you cannot fight for it as a bull would , you can . lbray for ft—throw yourself in the way of its opponenls-r-trampie down every obstacle—and finally , unless you are the most incorrigible ass in existence , you will die ere you give up your right to it , and your determination to poBsess it . , Yours , Faci . London , 8 th February , 1842 .

      Untitled Article

      TO THE FEMALE CHARTISTS OF GREAT BRITAIN . Sisters in Political Bondacse , —We , the femalo Chartists of Manchester-road , Bradford , address you on the necessity of uniting in the struggle that our husbands , our brothers , and our sons are engaged in ; 'tis , a holy struggle of right against might We see gaunt misery arid famine stalking forth in all its horrors and see the useless , extravagance bestowed on pampered royalty , . when We see a Powagcr Queen , who doea nothing for the state , yet receiving , tha enormous amount of £ 100 , 000 per annum , when we calculate that she receives j £ ll 8 s . 3 . 3 d . per hour , whilst thousands of our fellow creatures are in a state of actual starvation ; and again , sisters , we havo been insulted by another system of extravagance , wrung from the toiling millions in the shape of a royal christening , over which

      £ 100 , 000 has been lavishly expended , which would have maintained twenty thousand faiuiliesj each family consistingvof seven individuals , for one month , at £ 1 per week each . Behold also the State Church , the whole body of parsons , aid and assist in carrying put all bad laws passed by the middle class Parliament , and indeed in all their evil doings they rob and plunder the working millions of the fruits of their industry ; they are receiving yearly ten millions , and for what ' . why for preaching passive obedience and non-resistance , to persecute us if we offer to resist their tyranny . The heart sickens when we think of the wrong inflicted under the cloak cf religion ; therefore females , unite in one great phalanx ; then by one mighty movement sweep the citadel of corruption from the face of the earth , and on

      its ruina build the temple of Chartisnv ; then sisters , and not till then , -will the working classes obtain justice . It is said what can woman do ? she can do a deal in her domestic capacity , ; she can instil the holy , principles of the Charter into the minds of her children ; in her daily occupation she can commune -with her liusband , and while all others toil she can persuade-, her courage rises with ; the difficulties she has to endure . Then , sisters , you can do all these , if you will but arouse yonrselves from your lethargy , and shake off the chains of slavery , and imitate the Spartan mothers of old ; then arouse yourselves , and sign the National Petition , and every one of you join the National Charter

      Association of . Great Britain , remembering that onion is strength ; and never let us for one instant forget those expatriated and much injured , yet magnanimous patriots . Frost j Williams , and Jones ; remember those that have , and are at present suffering now for their and pur cause ; remember those Whig-made widows , Mesdaines Frost , Williams , Jonea , and Clayton ; the murdered Clayton . calls aloud to you to redress his and our country ' s wrongs . How are we to dbthis ? By a general and united exertion of the people at large , both male and female . Xet us emulate out husbands , our brothers ,: and our sons in the holy causo of liberty / 1 Wenowcdriclude by quoting the language of an immortal poet and patriot : ¦<— .

      " There is an uuseeu power lies in the mass Of human slaves , which if aroused , would sweep Not mortal tyrants only from their thrones , By one brief crash , with all their blind supporters , But e ' ven this mighty opaque globe herself ; they could unhinge , ¦ . : . ¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦ ' . ; : - " . And jsehd her blazing through the solar system . And I for one would lend a band to this , Rather than kings and priests , and common thieves Should make the life of man an endless enrse : — But there ' s a way to raise this potent power , Not to extinguish man , but recreate And lead him back to nature and himself ; To turn his ceaseless labeur into play , His life into a cloudless holiday . " Signed on behalf of the Femalo Chartists , Sarah Leatherbarrow .

      Untitled Article

      ADDRESS OF THE CHARTISTS OP GEOBGESTREETip TO THE WOOLCOMBERS OF Bradford ;; , \ ' 0 \ '' \ " : ,..: ^ y ' :- '' ¦< . ¦ . :. . ; FEitow Working-men and SeItes , —Onr Intimate knowledge ef , and sympathy for , yorir sufferings prompt us , at this eventful crisis , to address you on the necessity there is for that nnion and actien essential to secure that full amount of freedom , " independence , iuid supply of the necessaries and comforts of life , without which life is but a Durden . You form by far the greatest number of working-men In this district , your cordial co-operation aiad assistance -theretote , musli bt

      of paramount Importance ., We call npon you t > come forward in your strength , and show your oppressors yon are determined to be free ; let hot the Want of time , nor the shortness of means , nor the threat of the domestic master tyrant , nor the scom of the ignorant and the proud , deter yon from the performance of a known duty ; Surely you will not longer stand by and see your neighbours struggle alone for rights , in the securing of which you with them are equally interested . For the love of country and hbme---for your wives and for your children ' s sake / arouse yod from your : lethargy , and come up to out help against the mighty oppressors and robbersof the poor . ¦¦ ;^ ; ¦ . ¦ ¦ ' > V ' ' . - . -v : ' : ' . ^ -- - -. ' ' -v- i ''' :

      The prime cause pf the prevailing distress , the master grievance , this being the cause of every other grievance , is o ' aas legislatldn ; nor will there be any eflectual remedy for your social diseases , until tb . » whole people

      Untitled Article

      be represented In the Commons House of Parliament . Yon . can never <» ecare good goternmehtuntU you get good goverhors , and inese yoa never will ^ have ss long as the right of franchiBO remains witk the most vicious and Interested portion of society . You wish to have better wages * get then that electoral power which will enable you to choose men who ; will legislate for thd protection of labour , —thlfl is the great question after ' . oli . . - '' : ¦ ¦ ; ¦ . ' ¦ . .. - ¦ . ;¦ = • - ¦ . "' , ; ' >;¦• - .. ¦¦ ¦ . . ; x-. ¦ : "¦ : ¦ v- ; ' ¦ ¦ . ¦ ' ; : ' ' ; :. ' ' .- > ' We call upon you to enrol yourselves members of the Natianal Charter Assodatioh , and we will hail you with pleasure . If the hour of freedom' Toe not fast approaching , remember it is not pur fault but yours Some of you " care for none of these things' * others actively support your enemies , especially the eneray'a press . It must be obvious to every man of ordiiiary discernment that ,: thia •« Radical" Leeds Times is a mer » manufacturer ' s paper , and ; yet you , the victims of

      capital , are its principal supporters . There is every likelihood that the Corn Law question will be settled in some shape or other ; and then , we are toki , we are to have a breathing time : bnt the working classes of this country srre not committed to that questioni and consequently will be under no obligation to take any " breathing time . " If the intended change in the Com Laws should turn out to be extensive , there will then be a season of speculation and "prosperity , v at t ? ie end of which your employers will be stronger , because richer ; you will probably be weaker—certainly not stronger . You will hence perceive the necessity of keeping up and of increasing the " pressure without " until you have stormed and taken the " citadel of corruption . " The Corn Law repealers tell you that a cheap loaf is better than a dear one ; bat they forget to remind you that the dearness of bread is only relative , and depends upon the amount of aman ' sincerne .

      Finally ,. fellow-woiking-men , be not content with mere relief—let nothing short of justice satisfy you ; relief will be but a temporary advantage—justice would secure ypii parmanenfc prosperityi comfortable fire-sides , cheerful ^ . wives and children / arid to yourselves peaceful and contented minds . Your redemption is in your own hands , aad the work of national regeneration depends chiefly upon you , and your " brethren in bonds !• ' : Wait not foolishly for the aid of any other class of society , besides your own .- ; Can your freedom come from your enemies : as Boonmlghk the Egyptians hate tiefen expected to liberate the Israelites , or the West Indian placters the black slaves , as the mifldleclasses of Eng ' and voluntarily to givei up their hold upon you and the fmits of your toil . Look then to others to do your work , if you mean it to be badly done , or not doneat all ; if you with it to be done , and done well , do it yourselves . GrnlVTlTH HiGGlNS , Chairman . Thomas Hanson , Secretary .

      Untitled Article

      TO THE FACTORY WORKERS OF YORKSHIRE . Brethren , Friends , CouNTRYMEN , r-It has often been our lot to me , et you in private converse , and mingle with you in your homes , and by your hearths , when the sua of England ' s prosperity was yet above the horizon , and the soul of the English art / zm was not yet oppressed with the accumulating load of misery which laws , restrictive , partial laws , and the aggrandising cupidity of capitalists have taught him now to bean - ; . ;¦ ' .: ¦ ¦ :: ¦ ¦ " ' :- ¦ - ¦¦ ' : ¦ '¦' ¦ ¦ ' . ' .. ' ¦ . ' ¦ ¦

      From past experience we feel ourselves qualified to > form a , correct estimate of yohr . character as a body , and unless oppression has changed the current of your feeling ; unless , the kindly sympathies of your nature have been blunted , and Yorkshiremen have ceased to boost of English hearts , we feel confident in saying ^ that th « wrongsi and sufferings of your o'ass will find a sympathetic response in your bosoms , and that the ready hand which . often sent the wayfaring stranger rejoicing on his way , will not withhold its tribute to brethren in distress , —

      * A brother to relieve , how exquisite the bliss . '' But a truce-with preliminaries , and let na proceed to the painful task of enumerating the miseries of our brethrenj and calling upon you to extend the hand of suppptt to them . We are far away from you in another country , we may say , where distress , in its most painful forms , is stalking through the mantifacturini ; districts ; but it is not for the famishing people of Paisley , neither for the starving producers in Dundee , that We claim your support , it is for your own countrymen , your own neighbours , the turn-outs of Huddorsueld , that we ask : your sympathies and expect your pecuniary aid . ; '¦ ' ¦' . •'• ¦ ' . . ' •¦ ¦ . ' ¦ . " , '" .. ¦ ' -: ¦ : : ' . ' ¦¦ ¦ '• . ' . ¦ . " '' ¦ : ' . ¦"

      These men left their employment because the employers , taking advantage of the depressed state of trade , sought to materially ' reduce their already too scanty earnings , and thus crush them below the point of human resistance to tyranny , making ' . -them , as ^ It were , the pioneers of oar downfall , for the " unholy alliance of capitolists , " working for mutual benefit at the expense of us all , would soon have made ua follow in the wake of our conquered breihren . There are forty-three men turned out , and alt the support which they and their families have received for the last fortnight is £ 12 1 / s Ojd . ; / ; : Now there \ are , 7 at present , about two . thousand wprkies employed in Huddersfield ,: Brighouse , Bradford , Halifix , Elland , ; Hebden Bridge , fcc , -who , if they were paying 3 d . each per week , would realise a sura of £ 50 psr fortnight , arid taus would we be enabled to support - the noble men who battle for the rights of labour .

      Good Gad . Englishmen , my face burns to think that one mill in Scotland , in Edinburgh , where there is not that personal interchange of sympathies that exists between you , should contribute almost as much os five mills in niy own land , to the support of the gallant defenders of tbe poor man ' s , property from the encroachments of vampire capitalists . Will it be said that Englishmen are so besotted that they will allow their own interests to be sacrificed along with their brother toilers ? Shall it be said that theadace whieh says , " The poor man alone when he

      hears the poor moan , 01 bis little a little / will gi ye , " has never become reversed , and that an Englishman ' s bowels of compassion are dried up . Shall the aristocrat tauntingly hold put his finger and say these men ask me for justice * and yet refuse their own class compassion ? Never . Let the high-souled principles of justice , all the love of native land and domestic felicity , combined with the sympathies that reciprocally beat in poor n'en ' s bosoms unite in arousing you to a determination not to see your fellow labourers immolated on the altar of Mammon . '

      Prove by your actions that you are deserving of pch « tical liberty j show the united " millionaires" that the " ipriorant" labourers are determined to stand fast in defence of the rights of labour . The time speeds fastly on , and the hour « ometh when pu-se-proud insolence must be cont 3 nt 3 rl with its own rights , and labour shall no more be spoiled to ' enrich a corporation of grasping avarice or to support an oligarchy of callous oppressors . . : ; : v- : : ^ . . ¦ ¦ - ¦ - Factory workers of Yorkshire , do not allow the gallant fellows in Huddersflelii to ba put down through the machinations of ¦ eniptoyers , thfeyaie trying all their arts to , break ' . ; off the little support they now obtain , but be ye true to your order for only a short time , and ad ay shall soon dawn of prosperity to our class ,. a day that shall relieve us of the necessity of wandering in the lanes and alleys of bur towns ; competitive dniga upon the energies of our employed friends .

      Working men ; do your duty , and the . days of oppression are numbered ; fight the good fight of human redemption , and strive to make the world better taan yoa found it ' , : Yours , 'in behalf of the Workies . of Castle Mill , Edingburgh , ' . EDWABD SUTCLISFK , 9 th February , 18 ^ 2 .

      Untitled Article

      WVfjwiAi ^' jA , ' ^^^ . a ' ^ **— " - ^ — jrEDStTRGfH .- —A public meeting of the inhabitants of the , town of Jedburgh , tvas Held , in the county hall , on Friday the 11 th instant ^ to take into consideration , the propriety of again adopting the National Petitipn without alteration or amehdmept . At the time of meeting , the hall was crowded to excess . Mr . AdaniMatbison was called to the chair . Mr . John Wark proposed the first resolution , imputing all the grievances under which our country is at present groaning to class legislation , and that the only remedy would be to pass the People ' s Gharter as the Jaw of the land , and moved that we do again

      petition for Universal Suffrage . The resolution was carried . Mr , James' Noble proposed the National Petition , which boihg seconded by Mr . John Wark , the Chairman introduced ; . ' Mr . Charles Haigh , from Hawick , who was received with great cheere . Mr . Haigh then rose amidst ' renewed cheering , and spoke for three quarters of an hour in a strain of eloquence and argument . The pe ition wa ? put and carried amidst great cheering . Three cheers were then given for Mr . Haigh , three for the Charter , three for Frost , Williams , and Jones , for Feargus O'Connor , Esq ., for the Chairman , and the meeting broke up . ' ¦ : ' . . : - ' - - h . 'r- ¦'¦ ¦ .- . ¦ '¦ ; :.,. . ¦ ¦ ¦ - . ' :. ' ¦ - /¦ :: ; ¦ ¦ ¦' " . " '

      OALBY , ( Atrshike . )—The Corn Law Committee of Tepealers challenged the Chartists to a discussion with their great gun , Mr . Aoland , who has been figuring this some time past in the Corn Law movement . The dfseassipn was to come off on the evening of Wednesday , the 9 th of February . The Chartists engaged Mr . Wm . Smithy from A ^ T j to meet this celebrated champion : of expediency . Wednesday arrived , and the village and neighbourhood was all bustle ia anticipation of the discussion to take place in 'the , evening . " In the foreriobfl ^ the Corn Law ^^ Committee was engaged circnlating bills stilting that Mr . Acland had beeh' engaged at -two places oh the evening of Wednesday , the 1 9 bh of February , ( Stirling and Dairy , ) and postponing his

      lecture m tne Ja « er place untu Saturday ; Mr . Acland lectured on the evening of Tuesday , the ' 8 th , in SaUcoatSj and passed Dairy on the forenoon of Wednesday , the 9 th . Whether he got notice of Smith to meet i himi or considered the Corn Law repealeTS of Dairy beneath his notice he knows best himself . Smith , however , like a true Chartist , was at his post ,-and a public meeting was held in Mr . Cplogain ' s Hall , when Mir , F . Sterrat Was elected chairman , and Mr ; I . Miller vice-chairman ^ The hall was crammed in « very -part ; Smith 'delivered a lecture , and in good style laid our principles and position before the meeting . At the close of the lecture the National Petition was read * moved and seconded ^ and carried unaniaouely . >

      Untitled Article

      _____________; T H E N O R t H E . ; RK ;; gfA ^;; - " : :: ; . V ; . ; ;; ' /" . ¦ ., : ^; '' ; . ; . v ' . V Z ' j ^ / ' V f ^^ :

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Feb. 19, 1842, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct879/page/7/