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1024 *¦ THE LEADER. [Xo. 494. Sept. 10, ...
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... • ^ MIY rt C Wi r>1Tt« ^ UJUlj- ^l^AV JJ , # ¦
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POLITICAL FORESIIADOWINGS. A public dinn...
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THE STRIKES. The master builders have re...
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Transcript
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
1024 *¦ The Leader. [Xo. 494. Sept. 10, ...
1024 *¦ THE LEADER . [ Xo . 494 . Sept . 10 , 1859 .
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Political Foresiiadowings. A Public Dinn...
POLITICAL FORESIIADOWINGS . A public dinnoY h : \ s been held in the Corn Exchange , Leicester , in honour of Mr . Unwin Heygate , . who contested that borou » h at the late election in the Conservative interest . " Upwards of 200 gentlemen were present , Mr . Miles presiding on the occasion . Mr . ' Heygatk , after adverting at some length to the .-downfall of Lord Derby ' s administration , and the necessity of attention to the national defences , said he would now just advert to the everlastingly recurring subject of reform . They had now a Government for the fourth or fifth time pledged to the introduction of a reform bill , and he would . say that if the Government would bring forward a really fair and liberal measure he spoke the feeling of the
Conservative party when he said they had nothing to fear from it , and would offer it no factious opposition . He had long been of opinion that there existed in this country a larcre class of intelligent and educated operatives , not yet enfranchised , who might be safely admitted within the pale of the constitution . He stated that at the time of the election , and Ins experience during his canvass , so far from diminishing that feeling , confirmed and strengthened it . In fact , he--had no'hesitation in saying he was in favour of the admisflon of a large number of the workingclasses to the , franchise . In a speech delivered by one of the vice-chairmen it was stated that the friends of Mr . Harris , a defeated Liberal would openly support Mr ..-Heygate at another election : 750 of the Liberal elec
At Chelmsford on Monday - tors and their friends gave a dinner to Mr . . Wingfield Baker , the late member for South Essex . On this occasion several members , of Parliament were present . Mr . Hardcastltc , M . P . said : —Whatever the new reform might be , he , as a humble member of the House of Commons , would undertake , not ' . to be deluded by any such traps as were laid before the House last year by the Government of Lord Derby , for he would vote for no reform bill which did not secure to all those classes who deserved it a share in the franchise . —Mr . Baker referring to the same topic observed that the work-ing classes must in future be a moral power in the state ; if they were to exert an effectual influence on public affairs they must make theirintelligence felt . A reform bill was promised for next session , and lie hoped the promise
would be realised . If it were to be realised it must give the country that which was essential for its realisation—viz ., a 1 . 0 / . franchise in counties ; without this it was impossible for the working classes to have that share in the representation to which they were entitled . Referring to local matters , Mr . Baker urged that the Liberal part of the county must bo prepared and united for a contest . —Mr . Sutton Western , M . P ., remarked that the nonelectors must ask plainly if they would obtain their rights ; and what was quite as . much to the purpose , they knew whom to ask . They would not go to Loiyl Derby for a reform bill . True , his lordship had recently given a specimen of his skill in that line . Nevertheless , Englishmen were not quite ready to give the Tory leaders credit for being reformed into reformers alter such a delusive measure as these
pretended converts to reform produced when they undertook to deal with the subject . The names of Lord John Ilussell and Mr . Milner Gibson were in themselves a gunrnnteo that the coming reform bill would bo proportioned to the increasing intelligence and growing capacity of the people . The agricultural constituencies were formerly the strongholds of Toryism ; but a wondrous change had now come over the spirit of their dream . Even the most obstinate of the self-styled farmers' friends had abandoned that claim to peculiar favour ; the bubble of protection had burst , and it . was difficult to see how the agricultural constituencies could go on much longer in blind reliance on the politicians who , intentionally or not , had so grossly cajoled thorn with busoless hopes . Tho Hon . William Naimisr , who at the Into
election intinintod his intention to offer himself as a candidate for Selkirkshire at the first vacancy thereafter , addressed a mooting of tho electors on Friday ovening . Mr . Napier oxprossed himself as of moderate Liberal principles , but guardedagainst his being expoctcd to go along with oithor the Kadieal or Whig party . Mr . Murray , of Philiphaugb , is also a , prospective candidate for tho county on more advanced Liberal principles . At HurtdorsfieUl , on Thursday , a company of 3 , 000 ladies and gentleman assembled to do honour to their representative , Mr . Loatham , who has latoly passed through tho purgation of a contoated election , and consequent petition . At this demonstration of coureQ John Bkiqux was present , and , equally , of course , that personage favoured tho audience with n speech of two or throe hours' duration , Ho said , thoro are persons wlio Bay that politics aro at an
end in England—that there is no such thing in Parliament as party , and that there is no real or essential difference between the various sections of the community who fight the contests at our general elections . I believe , on the contrary , that political contests are not over in England , but that some most important and hereafter to be regarded as memorable conflicts are only about to begin . After giving a sketch of political parties from 1832 to the present time , in order to prove that the British Parliament does not represent the people ,. Mr . Bright continued : —For many years past there has been only what we call wasted sessions of Parliament ; and I am so distressed , so weary , so disgusted , and at time 3 so hopeless , that I often at the end of a
useless session think myself a fool above all other fools for spending ¦ my time , hiy labour , my life in the House of Commons , and am half resolved , as a dnty to mj'self and my family , to seek the only office that possibly I may ever hold—the office of steward of the Chiltern Hundreds . I am frequently tempted to take myself from Parliament and to cease labouring in a field where there is no soil to grow anything , and upon which neither the shower falls nor Ihe sun shines . All that we have done of late years has been to vote with a listless apathy millions of money for which you have toiled . We have squandered scores of millions that under a just arid economical Government would have remained in your pockets ; we have added tax to tax ; we have , it is true , taken some off ;
we have shifted an uncomfortable burden from one shoulder to the other , but the burden remains . It grows larger , and , if you did not stagger and fall beneath it , it is because your industry , your productiveness , your resolution , and your patience surpass those of any other people in the world . The hon . member proceeded with his usual good taste and eloquence to enlarge upon various matters connected , with the church , the landed interest , and the army : there was nothing however particularly novel in his remarks , which principally consisted of a repetition of the abuse which he . delights in showering upon the present state of things . A recent military flogging at Woolwich , the description of which has been shamefully extobe
aggerated , was too tempting a text - neglected by Mr . Bright , and the method of handling it was certainly not deficient in breadth of assertion or in heightened colouring . Upon the subject of reckless expenditure in the navy the hon . gentleman said : —You who have been in the gallery of the House of Commons know that I have opposite to me there a phalanx , when they are all there , of some 300 members—that is , of the Tory party—and I am not about to exclude all on our side from what I am going to say about them ; but I will undertake to say , and , what is more , to pi-ovo , that if you will take those 3 Q 0 men , and add up everything which they pay directly and indirectly in taxes to the State , and put it on one side of the ledger , and on the other
side nut everything which they and their immediate families receive from the state in appointments and salaries in one branch of the public service or another , then it will appear they receive three times , I believe five times , I think I should not err if I said ten times , as much as they pay . Why , then , am I to be asked to go to their stolid phalanx of tax received and tax expended , and to beg and implore them to bo more moderate in the use of the public money ? Every addition of a million to our taxes and the State revenue is adding another stake to the parsimony of the privileged classes of England , and until you come to this point that you look them in the face , and say , ' Parliament shall not be thp instrument of tho House of Lords or of tho sreat
territorial proprietors , but shall fairly represent the great body of the people of England , ' there is no remedy for the grievance of which you cpmplain . " Having touched upon Indian mismanagement , he remarked : — " And so I presume it will go on until some great revolt—some other great catasti'ophe . Parliament still slumbers on , and , when another great earthquake comes , if it be an earthquake heavy enough to shake them wide awake , you may have an improvement of the Government of India ; but tiUtheri , or until tho peoplo of England arc thoroughly represented , and tuko this question up , I fear thero is small chance of any real . justico to tho unfortunate
population . " Of tho taicos on tho people of England ho snid , "You havo a Government with all tho power of an absolute Government , but without the responsibility of an absoluto Government . You havo a Government which consists of about 400 great , some of thorn rich , all of thorn titlod families , and they ( iro assisted and buttressed up by all tjie untitlod territorial possessors throughout tho Unitod Kingdom . They rulo you , and they tax you , and they spend your taxes freely . ( " Hear , hoar . "' and laughter . ") Now , I havo not tho slightost animosity against those people . ( Hear . ) I llkothorn to bo in thoir own , but thoir own place is not , to mi ' thinking , governing without my consent ( luughtor ) , nor governing you without your consent . " Jlo
concluded in these words : — " I have never shown mysel f , as it is . termed , the mere demagogue , who panders to the dry of an ignorant prejudiced multitude ( hear , hear ) , against his own light and knowledge and conscience . I have been as free to withstand what I felt ' were the errors of the people ( hear , hear ) as I am now ready to withstand and to condemn the errors and the injustice of the Govern - ment ; but I say that if the people governed—unless we are less virtuous and less intelligent than even our rulers flatter us by telling us that we are
—if the people governed , instead of a class , the nation and humanity would gain . It is for this , and this alone , that we demand a better and a free representation . We believe'it" would be the highest wisdom , looking a little , ahead , for . our governing class to concede it , and we arc as convinced as we are of our own existence , that the permanent power , welfare , peace , and grandeur or this nation depend upon our obtaining that which we seek—a fair and free representation of the whole people in the Parliament of England . " '
It is announced that a great Conservative banquet will be held on the 15 th instant , in the-Mote Park , Matdstone . A pavilion will be erected , cnpaple of accommodating more than 1 , 000 guests . The chair will be taken by Eai-1 Stanhope , and the invitations include the Earl of Dkrbt . "No doubt , " says the Kentish Gazette , "it will be extremely inconvenient to the noble ex-premier to come all the way from Knowslcy at a season when he invariably dispenses old ; -English , hospitality to a large circle of his friends . At the same time we arc not entirely without hope that he may be present at this influential gathering . " At a meeting held ori Friday last at Dumbarton , for the formation of a . volunteer rifle corps , the Duke of Moxtrose said : — "We know that we are
now more liable to invasion than formerly . We must feel that , notwithstanding the . great arnity that is professed by a neighbouring-country towards us , which we reciprocate and are anxious to maintain , yet we cannot feel so safe as if there was a constitutional government in that country , when the whole is dependent on the single will of one individual . We must feel that there is no check upon him if he should think it to be to his advantage—but I think he won ' t find th ; it- ^ -to attack this country . He has not the check of a parliament or of the representatives of the nation , or the more mild influence of the country through the public press , and therefore we cannot possess all the security which we should have without being armed for all contingencies . This feeling has spread all over the country , and has been spoken of in Parliament , and the expressions there given forth have been endorsed by the people at large . "
The Strikes. The Master Builders Have Re...
THE STRIKES . The master builders have resolved to re-open their shops on Monday next , to such operatives us are prepared to give their assent to the " document . " Some people are of opinion that as the shops are to bo re-opened , in a day or two all animosity will cease ; that tho employers and workmen will not with cordiality , and that building operations will proceed as they -were wont to do previous to the unhappy strike . We see no probability of so desirable a result arising from the mere throwing open of their establishments by the employers , the oflensivo document remaining . The nino hours' movemont has led to tho establishment of tho Central Association of Master Buildersan institution
cstn-, blished in solf-dofenco ; then tho Anti-Striku ^ Committee , and lastly , an association of builders' foremen . All these bodies act independently . Muny of the foremen aro wholly opposed to the document , ns <• arbitrary , un-English , and degrading to tho workmen , " while others have no objection to it . Mr . Ballard addresses meetings of the operatives at intervals , almost daily , in tho Adelaide Gallery Tho Anti-Strike Committee have now thrco places for the enrolment of members— --the head quarters at tho Adelaide Rooms , an office in Littlo Wiirnorstroot , and another in the Euston-rou . l . Appeals have been received by tho Anti-Striko Conunittoe from country builders to be supplied with the Commit toe ' ei publications ; and wo aro informed time bo lesuod Iro in
some fresh publications aro about to tho press containing statements respecting the existing conditions of aflfuirs amongst tho oinp loyurs , tho employed , and tho Confyronco of tho unltoa Building Trades . We woro informod , on Wednesday evening , that up to that time above oou nousoolety men had joined the Anti-Strike Committee ) ; and we havo hoard that it is not intended tluvt any of tho members who havo jolnod tho Coinmiuoo shall rocolvo rejiof-monoy until after Monday next . Tho claimants for such rollof must bo non-Bocioty men , who woro thrown out of employment , ' in consequence of tho closing ot mo shops on tho Oth of August , and who w i return to their employment on Monday ivuu
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 10, 1859, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_10091859/page/4/
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