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Northern Star (1837-1852), 30th September 1843, Edition 5 of 4, Page 4

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    • SLoraJ atrt «ewraJ 3E«tenisrncr. " .
    • THE NORTHERN STAR. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER SO, 1843.
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      Untitled Article

      DOMSSE . —Dxaib of aBlack Sheep . —Died , on . Friday morning last , at twenty minntes past seven o ' clock , aged nine months , the Herald newspaper < late Chronicle } . Since the birth of this dwarf , symptoms of premature dissolution have been risible , and , notwithstanding all the care and unremitting aifcection which its too fond uttrsea could bestow upon their pet , it got weaker , under their caresses , instead of gathering strength , until at last it sunk into an everlasting slumber in its father ' s arms , at the time above staled . Tie immediate cause of . death as teething * It had no teeth ? and however angry it ought be , it was perfectly harmless in the biting wav . Some years ago the Dundee Chronicle newspaper was for sale , and the Chartists here

      mastered their strength in order that they might , by purchasing it , procure a local organ through which , under their own management , the principles of the People ' s Charter might be prominently kept before the public . The result was the purchase of that parer at the sum of eight hundred pounds sterling ( £ C 00 more than its Talue ) . Shares in the coneerii were rapidly taken up , and instalments thereon regularly paid for a considerable time . The paper fell into the hands of the new proprietors , however , lonx ere one third of the purchase money was paid up , and of course they had to borrow what they « reradeficient of . This state of things led them into obligations to some persons who were enemies to the Chartist cause . These parties did all that in them

      lay to frustrate the only object which was had in View in purchasing the journal , namely , to forward the cause of democracy . This difficulty might have been got OTtr bad the people continued to pay the instalments upon their shares regularly . The Chronicle was sot Jong under Chartist management , however , when It became evident that a certain part ; of professed friends , from some of wiom better things might have l > eea looked for , "wished to have it in their own hands , and under their entire control . This had the effect of damping the energies of those who fait no interest in the undertaking , except as far as the

      advancement of the great publie cause was concerned . Some continued to pay and grumble ; others stopped payment at once ; ultimately , the paper did fall into the hands of tbo 3 e who Beemed so anxion 3 for it . Shortly after this a gentleman ^ rom Manchester , was brought < fr » n to edit It 5 but a few articles which appeared m the S : ar , put a seal upon his labours in this quarter . Since then , editors , managers , reporters , U ) printers , and printers' devils have been changed and xeehanged with the changes of the moon ; but all proved unavailing . At last they thought of changing tie name of the paper ; but , alas , what after all Is in a name ? The Herald arose from the ashes of

      Old Ckrony ; but , like its predecessor , only existed to experience the contempt and neglect of all honest politicians . And if ever the well-known fable of the * Old San and bis Ass" wa 3 verified to the letterit has been in its brief existence . It was a professed Sturgeite ; yet in its half-grown pages , it was led away by every wind of doctrine . In attempting to please every body , it offended all and was pitched overboard into the bargain . [ We give the above as we received it , trusting to the Teracity of our correspondent for the truth of the statements it contains . "We should not have noticed the matter , but that we understand great dissatisfaction prevails among » number of the Chartist body in Forfarshire , who subscribed their money for tie pcrcbase and

      support of a paper , which did not at all represent their sentiments when brought under , as they snpposed , Chainst management . They conceive that their money , has I > een wrongfully applied ; bow far they ma v be right they are the best judgrs themselves . ] ^ ShS-FFUXD . —Morb " Spumous CdtLeby . "Mr . John Pearson , of Angel-Btreet , appeared " before the magistrates on Friday laai , to answer a charge made against him for having in his possession a quantify of blades marked ** cast steel , " they being made of common sieeL It appeared that there was as informality in the summons , and it was dismissed ; lrat the goods were detained , and another summons granted , charging him with the manufacture of spurious cutlery , for the purpose of Bali . There are

      Bome awful exposures taking place . The Indepen dent , the organ of the free traders , and the Mercury are at open war , the " freebooter ' s" jonrn&l palliating thecondnct of the"respectable manufacturers " and alleging that the Corn Laws compel the manufacturers to ** get np these inferior goods . The Mercury , however , without dtnying tie right to make inferior goods , justly charges the freebooters frith dishonesty , in imposing on the world as " superior cutlery , " the east or sow uexax" goods which they for a long time have been making in great abundance . The " tricks of the trade , " too , are

      . being laid bare : London merchants getting their goods made ia Sheffield , and having them marked -with their owji juice as London made , and extorting as high as eighty per cent , profit upon them . Surely , these things Trill open the eyes of those who are eon tianaUy bawling on t that we have lost our foreign trade because of our protective duties ! Many a time have the Chartist lecturers , in their discussons with tie League" men , stated these things ; 2 mt they have been unbloshingly denied . However , sow ihey cannot dory them . Let them only come to Sheffield , and they shall have them thrust us der their noses .

      The Trades . —The trades are going on with the good work of enrolling themselves inlo an associated Iwwy . Tw * ncy-seven have already joined . The table-knife blade makers , to the number of 600 , have turned out for an advance of wages , and are likely to succeed , as several masters have already acceded to tbtir demands . There i _ one feature connected with this turn-out , that evidently denotes the March of mind . " At their first meeting , it sras debated , whether it would not be advisable to purchase or rent a piece of land , to employ the turnouts npon , with a view to increase their funds , and prevent the waste of capital and labour . The proposition mat with universal satisfaction , and we Relieve the associated trades will take the question rjp , and deposit their funds in a solid bank , and not trust to the ehxnce of being bilked by the w rag rooks , " as many of the benevolent societies have beer , by a certain swindling shop sow defnnet .

      BATH .-Seizures tor Church Raxes .-t-Out Correspondent writes : —One of those disgraceful seenes so opposed to the character and interest of trne Cbristiaaity , has been enacted in this city . It appears ibat some of the inhabitants of Snow-hill and Ticing-lane . in the parish of St . Saviour ' s , refusing to subscribe towards the support of a Church £ he doctrines # f which they disavowed , declined to pay the rate of fourpence in the pound levied for that purpose ; the result of which was that the holy (!) & officials" of religion sought a distress warrant to be levied upon the goods of the recusants , which being granted was dnly put into execution on Friday ,

      and s -watch was taken from Mrs . Curtis , and one also from llr- Sinkins , some bed clothes from Mr . "Watlock , and a cart from THr . Winslow , who is an Dut an ont ChartiBt . A short time ago a poor manin "Wiltshire waa ^ istrained on forTicarial tithes , to the amount of J 0 a ~ expenees incurred upon a rate © f Is . 4 d . when the worthy successor of the apostles Yisited the man ' s wife who was ill at the time , and finding bo moaey forthcoming , immediately left , and no sooner had he done so than the bailiff entered and took the chairs and one of the man's two tables . Bow-well io tkese " apostolical" harpies apply the lines lately given in the

      Examiner—B Pharisees of old heaven ' s path to seek Gave tithes of all , and fasted twice a week ; Our wit-er faints such plans have far surpassed , They take the tithes aid leave the poor to fast . " BABKStEY . —The town is in a state-of excitement ia cen-eguence of the attempts of some of the masters to reduce wages . The attempts of If orris aad Co . to break through the printed list of prices has failed , and the men nnder their employ have returned 10 their work ; bat another struggle has sow « o ___ e _ eed . Haxwortb and Co . have long

      manifested a disposition to reduce wages . On _ Mond » y , the 18 . h \ a pnblie meeting of the workmen -was held on May Day- Green , when it ' was unanimously resolved to strike sooner than submit to a further reduction of their miserable wages On Monday last another public meeting was held oa May Day Green ; the meeting was addressed By M-wssrs . GrimBhaw , Harper , and Garbntt . Information respecting the progress of the strike was given , and ihe weavers of Barnsley pledged themselves \ o support the Btrike against Haxworth and Co . io tic lat , L

      Xr fttfOON . —At the usual Council Meeting of the Giarnst body . hoJden at the Black Horse and Windmill , Barfgae street , Wbitechapel , en Taesday evening last , tne following resolHtions were unanimonsiy agreed to :- •* That we highly approve of the i * ew . Plan 01 Organization ; that we have the fullest confidence la tne integrity of thB persons who have been selected as the Executive , pro . tern ^ and we pledge onraelves to aid and assiBt them to carry oat the ^ Pi&n of Organization by all means < i _ our power .

      Sodthwaex . —King oy Pbbssia , Fatk-sthkei . TooLET ^ etarLT . —Mr . M'Grath gave one of thTmost iplendid ana edifying lectures upon the principles © f Government that « its ever been our good fortune io hear . It is the mtention of the Chartists of thiB BMghbonrbood to open a Branch of the Hational Charter Association at this house . Aboat forty jiames are alreidy in the list of persona that wiU Join tbelicw Organization . Lahbeib . —Bwxajhoa Corns Housb , Watke-100 Bout . —At the osual weekly meeting of members in this loealitr , the following resolution was passed : * That this iseetmg consider tbwnselves bound te copport the Plan of Organisation drawn up by the thirty-one delegates in Conference at Birmingham , and hereby pledge themselves io use every exertioH in their power to carry out the same .

      Potmen . iHsrmjxg , Turhag—iff-i— , Sunday morning . The aojourned ui ^ cusdon oa the benefits produced by the Protestant Reformation / was regained , and excellent rpatches , pro and eon , were made by iiesrs . Ratbbone , Overten , ' Cooper , O * Leary , Alien' and otheri The subject was again adjourned . Mr . SkeltoB lectoxed in the fi&me place in tbe eTenini »

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      PORTRAIT OF If . P . ROBERTS ESQ . Mr . O'Coxsob . has received commnnications from many districU in all of "which a very great desire is expraaed to have a portrait of Mr . Roberta , the people's Attorney-General . We cannot wonder that a strong ¦ wish should be entertained to possess a Xikeneu of so truly amiable , talented , and true a man ; and although we know that Mr . O'Connor had determined to givt no more Portraits , yet we have the pleasure to announce that all Subscribers for Three Months , from Saturday , the 23 rd of Sept , ¦ w ill receive A PORTRAIT OF W . P . ROBERTS , THE PEOPLES

      ATTOBNEYGENERAL . We request the several Agents to open lists for the enrolling of namro . as non ^ bnt , Subscribe * " » rom the above dates viil receive a plate . The pHce of Paper and Plate when presented will be Sixpence ; and none will be sold withont the paper . < rfc

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      THE LAND 1 THE LAND !! THE LAND !!! Feargus O'Connor , Esq . will Lecture 00 the above important subject , in the Large Theatre of the Rotunda , Blaokfriars Road , on Tuesday evening , October 3 rd . Platform Sixpence ; Upper Circle , Three-pence ; Pit , Twopence . Doors open at Seven , Lecture to commence at Eight o ' clock . Working-men ! do your duty ! Attend , hear , and jndce for yourselves !!

      Untitled Article

      OUR " IMPROVED" TRADE . MORE "PROSPERITY . " At length we have another gleam of sunshine ; and much is sought to be made of it . We have had seven long years of " depression ; " two good harvests , and the state of manufactures in SjfAis have ** revived"' us a little ; and the journals of both faotioasare claiming for their respective parties , the credit of having caused that" revival . " ¦ The Tory Standard says that Peel has " restored

      prosperity f the Whig Chronicle saya that Peel has caused " our merchants to give their goods aicay"' ] The Standard says that "in two short years , Peel has wrought a glorious and happy improvement : " the Chronicle makes answer , that "Psel has , first of all , sacrificed the Farmer , to enable the opulent classes to pay the income-tax : and since then Tie has sacrificed the Merchant and Manufacturer to keep up the shadow of Foriegn trade" !

      All parties are however agreed , that we have a " bettei trade "; » . e . we have more of it just now than ire had . The cotton manufacturers are busy ; the demand for woollens h much more " active "; the worsted and stuff trade is " great : " in fact , in all departments of our clothing manufacture more is doing : but at what cost ! What is the price we have to pay for our " prosperity" ! How haa it been brought about ! BY A SACRIFICE OF ONE-TWELFTH OF OUR PRICES ! By giving the foreigner and the tax-rater all the advantage of the PEEL-forced reduction in " cost of living . "

      Isithis doubted ? Read what follows from the Chronicle of Tuesday . It is worthy of great atten . tion . It is another proof of the M improved tone of feeling which the Chronicle of Monday glorifies bo rollickingly . It proves that new modes 0 / thought are manifesting themselves amongst the Free Traders , as well as amongst the Chartists . It shews that there is even in the Chronicle a disposition to listen to economical truths "—a desire " to tomprehend principles" ; and -we must congratulate the Chronicle most heartily on its conversion to , and enunciation of , the doctrine so long exclusively confined to the pages of the Northern Star , and so long derided and opposed by even the Chronicle

      himself . O ! yes , there is a change in the tone of the public mind : and the following extract from the Chronicle is one great proof of it . Let tbe reader of the Star look over it well ; and let him call to mind the scores of times that similar facts have been adduced by us , as reasons why we should not adopt the theories of free trade ; because they were calculated "TO BENEFIT NOBODY , except a few foreigners ; and except annuitants and

      officeholders at home , the purchasing wwer op whoss incomes they "wocld increase" ! Glad we are to have the reluctant testimony of the Chronicle to the truth of our reasoning , and tbe force of our objections . That testimony is all the more valuable , because the Chronicle shows that it is founded on , and borne-out , by the operation of the Free Trade Tariff . Such an admission from such a quarter we certainly did not expect . Here it is , however : let the reader treasure it up well : —

      " Is the finance accounts of tbe year ending January 5 , 18 * 3 , the value of tbe produce and manufactures of the United Kingdom exported , calculated at the official rates of valuation , was is the year ending the 5 th of January , 1841 , £ 102 . 705 , 372 ; 1842 . £ 102180 , 517 ; and 1843 , £ 100 , 260 . 101 . Every person knows that these official rates « f valuation do not correspond either to the declared or the real value of the commodities exported . They signify only quantities ; and we learn , therefore , from these returns , that the quantities of exports In 1840 exceeded those of 1841 , and those of 1841 exceeded those of 1842 . The falling-off in the year 1842 . as compared to tbe htA year of 1841 , was £ 1 , 920 , 416 . That diminution in tbe quantities of our exports in the year that the tariff came into operation , is another proof of its disastrous effects .

      " Tbe Bame returns supply as with the declared valne of these exports , -which were , in the year ending January 5 , 1841 , £ 51 . 406 , 430 ; 1842 , £ 51 , 634 , 623 ; 184 S , £ 47 , 381 . 023 . The increased value of tne exports in the year 1841 corresponded to the increased quantity . Xast year , however , the quantities of the expnrts vote reduced £ 1 , 920 , 416 , ssy one-fiftieth ; bnt the valne , which is of much more consequence , was rednced £ 4 253 600 , or one-tweVtb . To enable ottr manvfaclurers and merchants io expert and sell even that diminished quantity , thet werb obliged to submit TO A SACRIFICE OF £ 4 253 600 , OR ONE TWELFTH OF TBE WBOLE TALUE OF THE EXPORTS . Sir

      Bobert Peel boasted a little , in July , of our reviving trade , ¦ which it now appears he has forced io the injury of our traders , by degrading prices . By his scheme , he first of all , sacrificed tee farmer to enable the opnlent daises to pay the Income-tax ; and since then he h&s sacrificed the merchant and manufacturer to keep up , under his restrictive system , the shadow of a foreign trade . " It ia well known that tbe price which our manufacturers can obtain abroad for their commodities determines , in a great measure , the price for which they

      can be sold in the bome market By not allowing a free importation of those foreign commodities for which oars can be exchanged , a comparative glut of tbe latter was produced is tbe foreign market . Onr merchants were compelled , to a certain extent , to give them away , The result , therefore , of Sir Robert Peel's legislation to degrade prices was , first to injure his agricultural friends , and next to injure the merchants and manufacturers . He Aoj benefitttd nobody . EXCEPT A FEW FOREIGNERS , iMMEDrATELt , not ultimately ; and exrept ANNUITANTS AND OFFICE-HOLDERS AT HOME ,

      the PURCHASING POWER OF WHOSE INCOMES , including those of the First Lord of the Treasury , BE HAS INCREASED . It is a very strange fact , but it is most certainly true , that we had procured tbe Annual Finance Accounts , for the expreES purpose of laying the facts , contained in the above extract before the readers of the Star , and grounding on those facts precisely just such conclusions as the Chronicle has so convincingly arrived at ! At the present moment those Accounts lay open before us ; and we can truly say that the facts in figues" quoted by the Chronicle are correctly extracted .

      Bnt what a- blow to Free Trade" those facts give ! What a stunner 1 They show , most con elusively , that its effects can only be , " to sacrifice the Farmers first ; " and then the Merchant and Manufacturer , to keep up the SHADOW of a Foreign trade , " !! That " IT CAN BENEFIT NOBODY , except a few foreigners ; and annuitants . and officeholders , THB PURCHASING POWER OP WHOSE INCOMES IT WILL INCREASE . " Thank jou , Chronicle . Pretty fair for a beginning ! Excellent , for a first manifestation of " an improved feeRng . " Go on , good Chronicle . Pursue the path you have thus entered upon . Evince more of this " disposition to listen to ecenomical truths , " and you will Boon be able " to comprehend principles "; and -when you do compsbhekd ; th «

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      principles you hare now ( perhaps by ohance ) ennnciated , yom will find that they lead to anything but the establishment of the theories of Free Trade I The fads adduced by the Chronicle fully show what has been the price at which we have purchased our present trading " prosperity . " Those facts also show that we have not muoh to boast of ; that we had better sing-small : or we may chance to have to sing , in a very short time , a far different tune . Our *» prosperity" has not any of the elements otendurability in it . It is bttt a gleam . The clouds are not all chased away . A short time may see the sun of M prosperity" completely shrouded from view : completely hidden behind the black darkness of utter despair .

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

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

      Here Mother Goose ib strongly at war with its M leading organ , " the Chronicle . Both are Free-Traders : and both assign different and distinct causes for the "briskness of trade . " "Trade is briBk , because food is cheap" says Goosey . " Trade i brisk , because Peel has forced our merchants to give their goods away , " says the Chronicle . Which is right ! We vote for the Chronicle . He shows the most " improved feeling . "

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

      frame-work knitters more 1 Have the linen-weavers of Barnsley more ? Have the men employed in the Iron-works more ? Have the copper-makers more 1 Have the woollen-workers of Yorkshire morel Have the men employed in the neighbourhood of Heckmondwike more ? Have the power-loom tenters of the Huddersfield Starket ' s more ? Have the fancy -weavers , of the fancy district , morel And above all , and before all , have the printers in Mr . COBDEN'S ekploy at Chorlby MORE ! Answer , Mother Goose ! And in doing so , mind and not give yourself another "knock on the head , " as a "foolish reasoner . "

      " The tendency of wages is to risk . " We are very glad to hear it ! Good , news it will be to those who are now just wageless I We fancy however they would much rather feel the " rise , " than hear of it . Have the wages of the cotton spinners , a tendency to rise } Or the wages of the cotton weavers ; or the copper makers ; or the furnace-men ; or tbe silk-weavers ; or the linen-weavers , * or tbe fancy-weavers ; or the woollen-workers 1 If they have a tendency to Tise , we fear it is to rise downwards ! ! What £ ay Mr . Cobdbn '» printers !

      "At Bradford and Halifax , euch is the demand for labour , that a considerable advance of wages has in many oases been made . " Very { considerable , truly ! Something indeed to boast of 1 A few workers , in one department , that of wool-combing , in the towns of Bradford and Halifax , have juBt effected a very slender " advance" in their wages , for a time ; and this proves that the " tendency of wages is to rise . " Poor Goosey . ¦

      There is before us at this moment a table exhibiting the prices paid for the combing of all sorts of wool , previous to the rise , and the amount ef the advance on each sort . It was furnished us by the men themselves . It is accompanied by the following statement , which will shew the " More" that the wool-combers have gotten , even with the " rise" : — " To show the actual condition of tbe Woolcombera , even after the advance in wages has been effected , we will show yon what amount of labour be has to perform , and what his weekly earnings , with incessant toil , will only amount to . We will suppose , therefore , that tbe

      Woelcomtsr gets from the warehouse 64 lbs . of wool , marked , say , long M . This has to be washed ; then combed ; a second time washed , and combed over again . He will then have about 48 lbs . of wool to be paid for ; the remainder being waste to the Woolcomber . These processes will take hv » sixteen hours a day for i / ie week through . THB RESULT WILL BE , THAT FOR ALL THIS LABOUR HE IS REMUNERATED WITH TEN SHILX 1 NCS , EVEN AT THE ADYANCED PRICE 1 It need not be wondered at , if we think that tbe masters yielded to onr wishes more through tbe dread f despair than any sympathy with the condition o ! their slave *"

      Rare M tendency to rise" I Plenty of " more" Ten shillings a-week , for sixteen hours' labour each day 1 What an amount to spend on " cheap food . ' What ever did the woolcombers get , when food was i > ear 1 Can poor Goosey say 1 We will wait to see . The Times , i . e . the Old Times , has also had its " song of triumph" on " our Prosperity . " That journal of Tuesday last is full of boast of the great "improvement" in all branches of trade . We would ask the vaunters of what avail is this , or any other , improvement to that portion of the working classes who toil from day break to mid-night to make profit for their taskmasters , without the means of absracting from their fwages a single farthing to add

      to that stora which , after a long life of toil , should be ample as a retiring salary for the overworked operative ! Where is the fund out of which compensation for loss of limb is to be awarded to the sufferer ? or out of which the widows and the orphans are to be compensated for the loss of their supporter ' s life ! Does not the bastile haunt them as the only refuge for premature old age 1 Is not the combination of the masters , under the double influence of capitalists and administrators of the law , so complete , as to enable them to rednoe wages to the merest' existence ! Where , then , we would ask , is the slave ' s share of our great " commercial triumph" ?

      Amid this boast of general (> improvement , " have the poor rates been diminished ! or can they be diminished ! Are the long lines of our best mechanics , now turned into street-sweepers and Btoneoraokers , by aught reduced ! Not a bit of it . The great advantages of " improvement" are confined to the owners of the nonoonsuming producing power ; to the foreign jobbers , who trtfiio with them ; and to the tax-eater . If this great" improvement in trade " is not generally beneficial to all , of what avail is it to-the working { classes ! Do the proceedB circulate equitably through all classes of society ! Have the community of shopkeepers joined in the " O , be joy / ol" of the manufacturers ! Or , will the quarter ' s revenue , the test of consumption , evinoe a corresponding improvement ! We shall see .

      Bnt if we even admit that the Times '' s picture was trne , a perfect portrait of the " improved" condition of the whole nation , how long will it bs before it is daubed over by the brush of the foreign artist 1 And then , from what source are our useless , because unemployed / operatives , aitiz » ns , and mechanics to be supported ! . This , after all , iB the great—the greatest consideration—the question of questions . The working men have had their " halcyon days ' before ; and the long and dreary night of " adversity '' has followed their short day of " prosperity . " In the days of sudden transition , they were satisfied to

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      rise and fall with tbe times . They neither saw or thought of the causes whiob subjected them to periodical changes . They have discovered , however , % \ &Vcertainly waB capricious , and but of short duration ; vthxld uncertainty was sure to follow , and was of long existence . So much for the mere commercial branch of the subject rlet us now direct our attention to the agricultural portion . This great " improvement" is in the main attributed to a Buooession of two good harvests . We would ask , then , ought not the farmers , in such case , to be the loudest in

      exultation ! Has the eystem become so complicated and entangled as to deprive the grower of all participation in "improvement , " while his industry and capital furnish increased means for the manufacturing speculators to gamble upon in the manufacturing market ! Does Ireland , a wholly agricultural country , participate in this general" improvement" i Have the operations of Rebecca , solely based upon agricultural distress , been relaxed in consequence of this succession of two good harvests < Has Mr . Cobden erased one foul epithet from his agricultural vocabulary in consequence thereof 1 Have the

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

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

      We have no desire to deny that more cotton is imported , that more goods are manufactured , and that tbe manufacturing world is just now active ;" on the contrary , we rejoice at it ; and for this especial reason : the co-existing PovERTr of thk PEOPLE WILL BE THK PRACTICAL ANSWER TO THE Free Trade Malthusuns . A " succession of two good harvests , " with a ** brisk trade , " and " reduced provisions , " will convince the working classes that such a multiplication of advantages having

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

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      THE LEEDS MERCURY AND HIS 11 BUBBLE . " Of all the turning , twisting , slippery , ell-like opponents that any one ever engaged with , surely the Leeds Mercury is the most tortuous and the most disingenuous ! He is indeed " cunning offence " : a regular trickster in debate . In the Northern Star of Augnst 26 th , 1843 , we had an article on the Land question , founded on a statement of tbe doings of Mr . Linton , of Selby for tne present year , 1843 . In the course of that article , we noticed a controversy that Mr . O'Connor had formerly had with the Leeds Mercury ' and again adduced Mr . O ' Connor ' s triumphant

      answer to the sneer with which his inferences from actual fact had been met by the * profound political economist" of the Mercury : that answer containing , from the Leeds Mercury itself , statements of doings on the Land , which left Mr . Linton ' s far ia the shade . We made a little merry on the occasion ; and concluded by stating that in another artiole we should prove , from Mr . Baines himself , that the Land , the Soil , was our last and only resource , " as a remedial measure for the many evils inflicted upon us by the labour-displaying operations of machinery : that Mr . Baines had himself , long ago , seen that" there was no help , no xmplot , BUT IN THE SOIL . "

      In the Mercury of the succeeding week , i . e . the 2 nd of September , this artiole of our ' a drew forth from the " profound politioal eoonomist , " a leader , whioh opened thus : — •' The Land Bubble . —In tbe Northern Star of last Saturday , we find four columns ' of words , with about the same number of ideas , to prove that farmers of four acres « f land may . bythe skilful management of their farms , realize a profit of £ 300 a-year , after paying their rents , taxes , and wages !!!"

      On the latter portion of his assertion we joined issue with him . We denied that we had attempted to prove any such thing as that " a profit of £ 300 could be made from four acres , after paying rents , taxis , and WAGES . " We stated that it was not possible for him to have drawn such a statement from our ' * words ; " that it was a purely false and groundless assumption ; an assumption made too , under such ciroumstancea as precluded its being attributed to mistake or accident : for in no less than four places in the course of the article he pretended to be replying to , we had distinctly set forth that the £ 300 was the " return FOR LABOUR , after rent

      taxes , seed , and wear and tear of implements had been paid for ; " that in fact , the £ 300 was THE wages ; not" CLEAR PROFIT" after wages had been paid , as the Mercury in another portion of his 2 ad of September artiole asserted . We put it to himself , whether he had not being practising "gross delusion" upon the public , in putting forth sucb a statement as if it was ours ; and then reasoning on that s tatement , and on that statement only , tot the purpose of exposing its "absurdity . " We further desired him to explain how the mis-statement had happened ; to meet the question fairly , allowing us to state our own case , and not tax his powers of invention to misrepresent .

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

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

      Andjhow does the reader imagine that he met the charge of misrepresentation ! How does he imagine that the Mercury proves the correctness of his assertion , that the Northern Star of the 26 th of Augnst , had attempted to show that a " PROFIT of £ 300 , after payment of rent , faxes , and wages , " could be realizsd from four acres of land ? How does the reader think that , he . " proved" this ? Why , by quoting from the Northern Star of the 22 nd of April lait !! 11 Slippery Mercury ! Twisting Mercury ! Tricky Mercury !! You asserted that the "four columnB . of words" JDjthe Northern Star ^ o ! August

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      26 th , attempted to prove certain statements ; and When you are accused of wilful misrepresentation , you rebut that accusation , by quoting from the Star , of the 22 nd of April !! Clever debater 1 Fair man !! j But the whole of the Mercury ' s fairness is not yet apparent . It ] was to our article that he took exception . It was with our " words " , "idealess " as » they were , that he found fault . It was to us that he attributed the attempt to " prove the £ 300 CLEAR PROFIT , after payment of rent , taxes , and wages" . It was to the Editor of the Northern Star that he was addressing himself in his artiole of the 2 nd of September ; and it was the Editor of the Star that charged him with misrepresentation ; with downright sheer invention , for the shallow

      purpose of replying to his own-created " absurdities " , as though they had been ours . It was to us that he had addressed himself ; it was with us that the controversy lay . And how does the fair man ; the honest jman ; the ingenuous man : how does he prove that the statement which be had attributed to us had been , as he said , made by us ? How does he prove that ? By quoting from a letter written by Mr . O'Conror , and signed with Mr . O'Connor ' s own name , and which appeared in the Northern Star more than four months before the article of ours , to which he took exception , was even thought of 11 I If this be not an honest way of getting out of a mess , commend us to one that is ! O , the virtues of a shift- ! O , the usefulness of a trick 1 O ! the convenience of a stretching

      conscience ! ; And after the fair man has thus acted ; after he has thus tricked ; after he has thus dodged ; after he has done that , which a man with a spark of honour would have despised himself had the bare thought of doing it onlyj crossed his brain , after he . has justjdone this , he modestly Bays : — "We do not know that it is necessary to say another word in answer to the vapouring of the Northern Star of the 9 : h instant ^ except that all the terms ' misstatement ' , ' wilful misrepresentation , ' ' disingenuous conduct , ' && , &o ., recoil , not by assertion , bat by demonstration , upon the heads of those who use them . "

      Was ever impudence more impudent than that on this earth ? If there were , pray what was it like 1 The terms are applicable to you , and to you alone , Mr . Mercury . You have net shaken them off ! You have only fixed them more certainly . With the ingenious calculations the Mercury has based on the quotation from Mr . O'Connor ' s letter of April 22 nd , we shall not , at present ; , meddle . We have no need to do so . They cannot by possibility have anything to do with the question in dispute between the Mercury and us . What was written by Mr . O ' Cossor oa the 22 ad of April cannot by possibility be made to appear as aa article of our ' s of the 26 th of August . To that article we pin th «

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

      Wo feel the leas compelled to examine his calculations , so founded , because he himself gives them up as of no moment . He distinctly says : — " The issue to be decided , however , does not depend apon three or four pounds an acre in wages , but npon the infinitely more important question , whether any such profits as £ 70 or £ 80 an acre , wages included , can be made yearly by land in general . We deny that onetenth part of that sum can be realized in ordinary years

      and by ordinary crops , under any system of cultivation ; and we say tbat if j either the rich or the poor should embark their time or their money in laid under any such expectations as those held out by Mr . O'Connor snd the Northern Star , they will find themselves grievously deceived , and will be apt to throw up in disgust a pnrsuit , which , if followed with perseverance and with sober and well-regulated expeotatigns , might conduce essentially to their ! happiness and to the general prosperity . " !

      Now here , for the first time , we hare something tangible . For the first time is the question fairly put . For the first time bas the Mercury given us a chance of anything to reply to . The Mercury l ) denies that one-tenth part ^ of £ 70 can be realized in . ordinary years , by ordinary crops , under any system of cultivation . " But on what does he found his denial 1 Does he adduce / aifs % or does he disprove those we have adduced t No . His bare denial is all tbat he essays to offer . Whether the world will consider that denial sufficient , when contrasted with the facts of other people , remains to be seen .

      On an former [ occasion , on the 26 th of August last , we said that ] Mr . John Linton , who Urea only at Selby , some nineteen miles from Leeds , had conclusively proved that he could grow upon little more than three-fourths of an acre of land , produce whioh would bring him in £ 57 3 a . 4 d . after he had paid a sack rent ; paid taxes ; paid for seed , and for wear and tear of implements . This statement we have given the figures for , under Mr . Linton ' s own hand . The Mercury must , therefore , excuse us , if we prefer Mr . John Linton ' s hard fads , the result of actual experience ; to his soft denial . Mr . Linton has certainly proved tbat it is possible , with a certain " system of cultivation , " to get more than " one-tenth of £ 70 an acre , wages included . "

      We might be content to leave this portion of . the question just where it is . The pitching of a fact against a mere assertion ; an assertion unaccompanied by reasoning ; is generally thought to be sufficient . But we are not so content . The Mercury shall have more facts . And when he replies to them , we trust ! that he will attempt to gainsay them by something stronger than mere assertion or denial . j The fact we shall next adduce , to show that more than" one-tenth of £ 70 can be realized from an acre of land , " is , the experience of a farmer not more than two miles from the Mercury Office door . He pursues a certain " system of cultivation "; and the following is what he has to say on the subject : —

      TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN STAR . ¦ Sir , —Having been for some time of opinion tbat the " Land" was the only resource ; the only means by which we can employ tbe labour of our machinerydisplaced population ; I have been much interested in the various accounts of experiments in farming which you have published from time to time in tbe " Star . " I have also read with pleasure your account of the " Potato * " war which you have been carrying on with tbe Leeds Mercury , I have seen his IfisV article in tbe Mercury of Sept . 23 rd , in whioh be " settles' the question in the old-fashioned "can't-be-done" mode ; by saying «* we denyj that one-tenth part of £ 70 or £ 80 ,

      wages included , can be made yearly , in ordinary years by ordinary crops . '' And does Mr . Baines really think that this assertion of his will be taken as argument against the facts detailed by Mr . LMTON ? If so , I send you a few more such for him to M settle" in the same way : being convinced that the CAUSES vhich have produced bare backs and empty bellies ^ nth . gorged warehouses ; which have produced such an enormous amount of labour unemployed , while the Land is comparatively a barren wast * for the want of thai labour , will very soon be apparent to ail , If the question ib to have many more such " settlers" as the Mercury baa attempted to give it

      First , then , for " Potatoes , " aa they seem to be & Btanding dish . On Monday last I was so curious as to try bow many potatoes I had apon two drills , two ' / set apart , and ninety yards long : and though I havj iiet yet got them to grow " 160 pounds per score yjnis , " I hava not the least doubt bat that I shall in ? . prove , after reading the ! instructions for cutting , m » muting , Bprouting , planting , &c , contained in the ar » / cle you copied from the jtercwry . That article wfa r gem , which would save been lost to the world bra yon not

      dragged it to light : and I mart thank the r / ercury and you for the real benefit I have received frr , tn the reading of ib From two drills nicety yards Io ng i weighed sixty-nine stones ! of potatoes : which V / ill be about 107 lba . to the drill twenty yards long v Or leoibs . to twenty square yards . This gives to tbe acre 2 , 783 stone . My crop of potatoes will be fallowed by a crop of rape , te be cut about March and . April next . The ground will then } be sowad with 8 vw > ed turnips . The following I calculate aa toe ptofiuoe of . the two years coarse : — \

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      £ a d 1 acre of potatoes , 278 ? stones , at < d 43 7 8 Part tops of do . 60 days eating for ene cow 3 0 0 1 acre of tape after the potatoes ; first cutting , in the beginning of March next , will feed 20 cows 32 daya .................. 32 0 0 Second cutting at the end of April , wi ll feed 20 cows 15 days 15 0 0 1 acre of Sweed tnrnips , after the rape ; tops of tbe Sweeda , food for 20 cows , 7 days . 7 0 9 S 3 ; drilJs , 2 feet apart , 220 yards long ; tbe turnips 15 inches apart in the drill , will ' give 16 , 824 turnips averaging 6 pounds each , or about 38 tons of bulbs : these , with 1216 stones of straw , will keep 20 cows 61 days 61 0 0 £ 161 7 8 Deduct for 1216 stones of straw , at 3 d . per stone 15 4 9

      And yon have produce of 1 acre in two yearn .........,.. £ 146 3 8 Four acres at the same rate .... £ 584 15 8 Giving as the worth of produce for fonr acres , for one year ...... £ 292 7 i The potatoes I have calculated at less than I am selling at I now sell at sevenpence per seore , of twenty-one pounds : I have calculated them at sixpence . The rape I have calculated at less than what the beat writers on agriculture give as tbe average produce and worth . . Th « produce of the turnips is from my own data . What I have easily done , I expect to be able to doaxain .

      I calculate the worth of food for a cow at one shilling per day . My produce , actual and estimated , I have measured by that standard ; and the foregoing ia the result . Had I only calculated the produce when converted into milk , and sold in Leeds , as I sell mine , at 2 £ d . a quart , the result would have made tfee Mercury stare-Bat I am free to confess that if I pursued " any system of cultivation , " I could not thus realize ; but pursuing the method of acting generously to the land , botb with Jaboar and manure , tbe land acts profusely towards me . The following extract from Mr . Blacker ' e work on Small Farms , will shew that I have not over-estimated my coming crop of rape . He says : —

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

      Now , this is from an occupier of land just undet the nose of the Mercury . He " holds " nnder the present M . P . for Leeds ; and we have not yet heard that he bas been ' * liberal" enough to avail himself of the " free" hint of the Mercury to raise his rent ! We believe he is content with the rent he gets . Let us not be misunderstood , however . We mean not to contend that it is possible to cultivate every acre of land to such a result as tbat of either Mr . Linton or our correspondent A . We never intended

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

      " We are glad to see the Chartists turning their attention to the cultivation ef the land ; it will give them an increased interest in the tranquillity and good order of society , and make them anxious to preserve what ' ever is valuable in the Government and institutions of the sountry . We hear that a plan was promulgated at their late Conference in Birmingham , for the purchase of 1 , 000 acres of land by this body ; on which our principal fear is , that it will never be realised . " It is something to have the Mercury ' s good wishes . He is " glad the Chartists are turning their attention to the land . " He was not very " glad " when he sneered at them for doing so ; or , if he was .

      a sneer was a rather curious mode of expressing "gladness . " Has not his " gladness" sprung out « £ the position in which we have placed him , in re * lation to this Land question ! We have shown that in "turning attention to the Land , " the Chartists have but followed the advico given them , years ago , by Mr . Baines , in the report from his pen which we lately inserted in the Northern Star : and we opine that it is the appearance of that document ; that truth-telling document ; that has changed the tone of the Mercurypand not "the plan promulgated at the late Conference at Birmingham . " Changed , at all events , that tone is . Now , he no longer sneers , but expresses " gladness . "

      He fears that " the plan for the purchase of 1 , 000 acres of land will never be realised . " Let him render aid then . If he really entertains this fear , be may do something to qaiet it . He has " sHares , " we know , in some concerns , not as likely to realise " one-tenth of £ 70 a-year , " as an acre of land wellcultivated is : let him " invest" with the Chartists , and he will have done his part towards getting that which he now fears never will be realised ; We have a right to expect , if there be any heart in this expression of "fear" and " gladness , " that every exertion will be used by the Mercury to " give the Chartists an increased interest in the tranquillity and good order of society . " It is all the Chartists desire . Give them this , and they will be content : " anxious to preserve whatever is valuable in the Government and institutions of the country . "

      Sloraj Atrt «Ewraj 3e«Tenisrncr. " .

      SLoraJ atrt « ewraJ 3 E « tenisrncr . " .

      The Northern Star. Saturday, September So, 1843.

      THE NORTHERN STAR . SATURDAY , SEPTEMBER SO , 1843 .

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

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

      England now anticipates the enlistment of a large French force for the advancement of English policy to the great cost of France , while the Debats , a journal devoted to the service of any ministry that Louis Phillppe may honour with his countenances deals in an unusually lengthy declaration against Daniel O'Connell , and the Irish Repealers . Add to these faots the one that Olozaqa , the coadjutor of the bloody Narvaez , has left Madrid upon a seoret embassy to Queen Christina and the King of the French . As we have no wish to mistake the opinions of French writers we will here set forth those portions upon which we mean to

      coro . vnent : — La Pretse says" The resignation of our ambassador , whoever may /• place him , will restore to England the ground she has lost , and make us lose all the advantage we had gained still fortunate if we are not asked to interfere to increase our deficits , to interrupt our great works , and to lend the support of our arms to advance British policy under the plausible pretext of the necessity there exists of patting an end to the convulsions of that unfortunate country . ' From the above we learn that the writer anticipates a deficit in the French Exchequer occasioned by the application of French funds for the payment of foreign troops to aid Englend in her foreign

      pokoy . Now let ns see what we wrote upon the 7 th of September and published upon the 9 ch , under th « bead " Work of the Session . " " We and our contemporaries hate reviewed tbe Ministerial work of the post Session , accordingto oat several political peculiarities , but more with reft ranee to the disappointment created at home , than with reference to itfl effect abroad . If the Tory Ministry MS

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      4 the : northern s ^ tar . . . . - ' : ¦ I . ,- ¦ ¦ ¦ I I I '

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Sept. 30, 1843, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct949/page/4/