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When ssea flatter, sigfe, aud languish Think them xita ; I found feera so.
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TO THE FUSTIAN JACKETS, THE BLISTERED HA...
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^i^^^ /) M 44 fajfiu/fiJL , C%^ ^^^7a2^^...
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- to & in ¦ , / r . / j i AND ¦ NATIONAL...
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TO THE MEMBERS TO BE LOCATED ON SNIG'S E...
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AGGREGATE MEETING OF THE TRADES OF LONDO...
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ABRIDGED NOTICES OF CHARTIST MEETINGS. F...
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FORTHCOMING MEETINGS. Stockport.—Ob Sund...
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THE LONDON REPEALERS. Pmb of Ohwtist int...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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When Ssea Flatter, Sigfe, Aud Languish Think Them Xita ; I Found Feera So.
When ssea flatter , sigfe , aud languish Think them xita ; I found feera so .
To The Fustian Jackets, The Blistered Ha...
TO THE FUSTIAN JACKETS , THE BLISTERED HANDS , AND
UNSHORN CHINS . M y Friends , As I wish the Northern Star newspaper to be a faithful record of my life , and as , hy & moderate calculation , my own writings alone in that paper would constitute nearly one hundred tolumes , of three hundred pages to a volume , I do not wish its pages to be disgraced or defiled by one enigmatical or suspicious sen-£ 6 DC 6 « I established that paper as the mirror in which Labour should see its interests reflected ; and I resolved upon perpetuating it as Labour ' s legend . I have cast my eye over i ! i
the several changes wroug ht throughout the world—all promising benefit to the labouring classes if they would but fight the battle of one oppressor against another ; and I have found , in every instance—America amongst the most recent , extensive , and disastrous examples of the fact—that political power alone , if unaccompanied with social rig hts , becomes as much an article of traffic as any other commodity ; and , seeing this manifest in this country , I have devoted the best years of my life to its destruction ; and , until this week , I have never been asked for an explanation of a single line I have written in furtherance of
this my darling project : and having not only admitted the great principle of popular control , but having invited popular scrutiny , believing in the truth of the maxim , 'jthat the peop le are seldom wrong , and nev « r very long wrong ; and believing that they would entertain for me as great a contempt , if I surrendered capriciously to error as they would if I rafused-to-confess error when , wrong , ' I shall now adopt that course most dignified to myself , most creditable to them , and most beneficial to their cause—namely , the justification of what I have written , with its manly and unequivocal explanation .
. From this introduction you will learn that my letter , in last week ' s Star , has been objected to upon some points ; and yesterday morning Mr Child and Mr Donovan , two members of the Convention , waited upon me here , at Snig ' s End , and for more than tws hours we discussed the points of difference of opinion as to that letter , and it is but justice to those missionaries to say , that a more discreet selection could not have been made . And I will now p lace before you every point of objection urged by them , and which 1 believe I explained to their entire satisfaction .
I shall take the objections one after the other , and dispose of them . And , firstly , though a very trifling one , comes the following testimony as to the character of Sir George Grey . Here it is printed , precisely as it was in the Northern Star ;—" I always speak of communitiep , not of indiridualf , aad in justice to Sir G . Grey , the Secretary of State for the Home Department . I unhesitatingly assert , that no Hring man would more regret a single act of unnecessary crnelty . than would Sir 6 . Grey . A more tender-hearted man breathes not ; tut , as I have often stated , MEN WILL C 0 MH 1 T ACTS AS A EODT . " WHICH THE BASEST AMONG THEM WOULD BLUSH TO ACX 50 WLBDGB AS ATT ISDITIDTJAL . "
Now , any man who reads that passage will eome to the following conclusion—that a government of angels , under an evi . system , are as great enemies to liberty as a government of devils could be , and not only the object of that passage , but the only construction that could be put upon it , is , that individual good character is of no value , when it must he surrendered to the will of others ; and I gave them this further instance : I said , " Look at Sir William Soinerville , without exception one of the very best l andlords and best masters in Ireland , and yet look at his Tenant Right Bill , and see how all his individual excellencies are lost amid government al corruption . ''
Now the missionaries merely mentioned this passage incidentally , and I think a moment ' s reflection proved to them that it was intended as a blow , and was a blow , at the system ; but you will expect me to gauge my writings by some rule and standard , and you will bear in mind that I have told yon , a thousand times over , that I would not give you a fi g for a Chartist Parliament elected by Universal Suffrage for SEVEN YEARS ; and for this simple reason , because the tenure of office uncontrolled for such a period , would turn angels into devils , and my just estimate of Sir George Grey ' s personalcbaracter is a strictly analagous
case . The next point at issue was contained in the three following paragraphs , and which must he taken in connexion with the concluding paragraph of my letter . Here are the three paragraphs : — " Dear me , then , and if you are valiant be discreet . The Hational Assembly proposes to violate the law . as the law only permits an assemblage of forty nine persons te sit as a Convention ; and if that assembly ^ meet , it will not only strengthen our opponents , but will deter the thousands—yea , millions—who are now preparing to join us from , entering into our ranks .
< I bore , and witnout a murmur , the indiscretion and thefoily of some members of the late Convention , and my reward was the payment of . £ 150 towards their expenses , and insults , contumely , and reproach in the House of Commons for every act of indiscretion . " Will yon just imagine men getting up at public meetiags , in London , and announcing that they were prepared for battle ! You remember how Parson Stevens was prepared ; how Peter Bussey was prepared ; and you know what has become of these valiant heroes . " Now , suppose that I had placed the representatives of the working classes in the trammels of the law , without warning them of the fact , what amount of odium would I have been subjected to as the admitted legal adviser of the leaders of our movement . I think 1 hear some
one exclaiming— "You must trample upon the law / ' but that is quite another question ; my duty is to instruct you in the law , and if advantage were taken of your position , and if the law punished you , although your intention might have been to trample upon it , yet , such is the caprice of public opinion , if the law triumphed , you would THEN hold me responsible , and justly reproach me for not having defined , the law . I will now take the concluding paragraph of my letter , and show you the bearing of the whole subject ; it runs thus : —
" In conclusion , then , what I have to implore of yon , is to postpone your National Assembly , whose enthusiasm may be op rated npon by spies , until you see the effect of this new combination of disappointed hope , when arrayed against an in o ! er . - ; nt libertj-slaying government . You , who have followed me so long , and whom I have serv--d so faithfully , will not , I am convinced , for the gratification of any passion , refuse obedience to my advice , and should its following fail , then command " Now in justice to Mr Child and Mr Donovan , I must explain to you critically , and without colouring , how they argued this point . They said that the conclusion drawn from the last paragraph wag , that i was opposed to the
meeting of the National Assembly , presuming that I was aware that that body was to consist of more than forty-nine members , and that 1 should have warned the Convention of its illegality before . In answer to this , I assured them , upon my word and honour , that 1 was not aware that the National Assembly was to consist of more than forty-nine members , until it was too late to apprise them ; and for this reason , that , during the time that that question was being debated , I was engaged day and night in the House of Commons opposing the Whig Treason Act . 1 told them that they must have been aware of the law , firstly—because all previous Conventions consisted of
forty-nine members ; because , although most anxious for his admission , 1 opposed Mr M'Carthy ' s taking a seat on the first day of our sitting , because it would constitute the Convention an illegal body , —that I had told them that I could not presefit their petition in favour of Frost , "Williams , and Jones , if it were signed by more than forty-nine members ; and 1 further told them , that Mr Hume had called the attention of the Government to the National Con entk'n , and that " as long as that Convention was a legal body , Isluuld be able to defy Mr Hume and the Government , but that the moment I lest that standing , then i was powerless . These planations appeared to ^ satisfy the
To The Fustian Jackets, The Blistered Ha...
missionaries that 1 had pointed out a distinction between the Convention and the National Assembly , whereas they had presumed that I was opposed to both ; the fact being that I am in favour of the Convention—the name by which we have always called our gatherings—as I am in favour of preserving the name of the Charter ; and you will find that one of the above paragraphs refers to the Convention , while the concluding paragraph refers to the National Assembly , and my
reasons for , at all events , POSTPONING the meeting of that body , and those reasons I shall presently give you . I must also state that , in answer to Child and Donovan , as to my knowledge that' the National Assembly was to consist of one hundred , that the firstintimation I had was from Mr M'Grath , who told me that London was to elect eight delegates , and to which I replied— " Then what proportion will the rest of the country have , if it is only to elect forty-one ? " and he then told me that 100 was to be the number .
Now , it will be borne in mind , that the Star is only published once a week , and that I could not , on the 15 th , have published anything that I was not aware of on the . 13 th ; and you must he aware that , during the previous days of that week , I was in a state of perpetual excitement , sitting in the House of Commons day and night , when my bed would have been the fit place for me . I now come to the two latter paragraphs of the above three ; and if the whole three are taken in connexion , you will find from the latter that my censure applies not at all to the Convention , nor to words spoken in the Convention , but to speeches made by delegates at public meetings .
The same rule that I have laid down for my own conduct , I am justified in applying to the conduct of others . 1 have said that I should be a dastard and ^ a hypocrite , if I were capable of using language out of the House that I was afraid to use in the House ? and that my boast was that my language in the House was bolder than my language out of the House , and ^ I hold the man in utter contempt , who was capable of holding one language in the Convention and another language out of the Convention ; and what will you say to a delegate of that Convention , after having elicited ihe boundless cheers of an excited audience by an exciting speech , saying to another delegate of that Convention , on their way home , ' DID
YOU HEAR THE D D FOOLS , HOW THEY CHEERED ME ?' Now this to me is most sickening and revolting . Then , as to the expense of the Convention ; for the legitimate purposes of the people they are welcome to my all , as I told them ; but I confess that I was nettled and stung , when I heard that a professional GENTLEMAN from Edinburgh would not return to his constituents untilhegot £ i of my money ; and . Mr M'Grath , when he informed me of it , did so with feelings of disgust .
Now , working men , havingso far ingenuously and faithfull y explained those points in my letter , and before 1 touch upon the question of the "Nation , '' I will make a few running
commentaries . In 1839 I made battle against the poor gentlemen in that Convention for seven long months , and , as soon as our exchequer was exhausted , they took advantage of some violent speeches , delivered at a meeting at the Crown and Anchor , Mr Sanke in the chair , to send in their resignation , and to abandon our movement , and many of them afterwards took refuge in corporations and other situations . Douglas , Salt , Hadley , Pearce , Whittle , the Cobbetts , Dr Fletcher , and all that class except Dr M'Doual ) , were ready for battle when they received six guineas a week , but were the first to run away from the smoke ; while Tom Attwood , their leader on the presentation of the National Petition , contended that ONE
POUND NOTES WAS THE CHARTER . . In announcing the late Convention to you , I asked you to elect none but those who would leave their work to perform yours , and who would return to their work when it was done . I have lived long enough to see and taste of the bitter fruits of the representation of the people by POOR GENTLEMEN , who are too proud to work , and too poor to live without labour . Who that does not remember my prediction as to the result of the ulterior measures proposed in the Convention of ' 39 , and which struck a blow at Chartism that it did not recover till ' 42 , and of which I bore the lion ' s share for the folly of others ?
Had the Convention of ' 39 deliberated upon the labour question , and had Attwood and the poor gentlemen remained true to their faith ; the Charter would have become the law of the land , because the Convention might have propounded social results from free representation , which would have been worth living for and worth dying for ; but when the middle-class men left us , they were the first to hound the
middleclass jurors upon us ; women were deprived of the protectors of their families , and hence , until the social principle enunciated in the Land Plan was proclaimed , not a wife who loved her children , and had an interest in the little freedom that her husband enjoyed , would allow that husband to attend a Chartist meeting , while now I find that a majority of women constitute my audiences .
I told you in ' 39 that your rulers did not dread the threat of physical force ; and that , if praying with red night caps was more likely to carry the Charter , it would be more dreaded than the cannon ' s roar , and would be made a penal crime by act of Parliament ; and if you will take the trouble of once more reading the concluding paragraph in my last letter , you will see that I only ask you to postpone the National Assembly unlil we have tested the virtue of the middle classes as to their proposed union , because they constitute the jury class , and the electoral body .
Chartists , you must not , however , mistake me upon this question of fraternisation : if we trust them they must confide in us ; and however in our assaults upon the monstrosities of the present sj'stem we may aid them , yet I am determined , at the risk of life itself , to keep the noble army of Chartists as a distinct and separate body , acting as an auxiliary force upon all questions in which the majority concur , but still keeping
THE PEOPLE'S CHARTER AND
NO SURRENDER ! upon our banners , and for this simple reason because if we abandon the Charter to day , every promised extension of the Suffrage would be buried jn the same tomb upon the morrow . Now , mark my predictions of Free Trade unaccompanied by popular representation . They cannot be denied . They are written a thousand times . I told you that the operatives would be the first to suffer : next the
shopkeepers and the trades ; that the manufacturers would find that they had CAUGHT A TARTAR ; that merchants and bankers would go ; that crowded bastiles and increased Poor Rates would be the farmer ' s share ; that he would next go ; then the Church ; then the landlords ; and last the system . I depicted what the state of Ireland would be , jjand I declared that Free Trade without the Charter meant revolution , and nothing less . Now , if you cannot deny the correctness of
To The Fustian Jackets, The Blistered Ha...
every one of my predictions , as to the Convention of ' 39 , and the result of Free Trade , so far as it has gone ; and if you cannot deny that my health , my time , my fortune , and my thoughts , have been ' one and all devoted to the causa of freedom , *! have a right to demand your confidence , and offer you my counsel / Child and Donovan appeared to agree that forty-nine should' Be selected by ballot , from the number returned to the National Assembly ; and a more wise and protective course could not be taken , as | it would give the eause of Labour a security in the wisdom of its friends ; and that the Convention should deliberate
calmly upon the whole labour question , as it affects all classes of society ; and , preserving to the letter the principles of the CHARTER , it should propound the social principle of individuality of possession and co-operation of labour ; every 'freeman a National Guardsman , armed by the Government , placed in his own sentry-box in the centre of his own labour field , surrounded by his own family , and ready to die in defence of his own
rights-Chartists , you cannot be impressed with my feelings . I Ifeel . that if you £ r . e not prudenj , cautious , and ' braveV ' '' n 6 t '' th " e * mfddle "' cla 8 sesj but their leaders , will juggle you . Have you forgotten my letter upon the Prussian revolution , when the reforming despot exchanged the Prussian plume for the peacock's tail of Germany ? Did I not tell you that he would gull the working men who gained the revolution
by continuous excitement , until he had so augmented his" physical forces as to enable him to set the victors at defiance ? Well , he has established a national guard of shopkeepers and traders , for the purpose , as he states , of resisting the demands of the working classes , while he has invaded the dominions of the King of Denmark , the only monarch in Europe who conceded a free constitution to his people without violence or even threat .
Chartists , a matter of paramount importance to us is the character of the Parliamentary Leader of this new middle class move , ' and I confess to you candidly , and especially since his invitation to the Government to put down the Convention , and from his letter to the Leeds Times , that I have neither faith nor confidence in Mr Hume . He is a rank political economist , and is one of the Fitzwilliam school , who believes tribulation and woe is the lot of the poor here below . I would have much more confidence in the leadership of Richard Cobden , and so would the working classes . However , come of it what may , there is this certain result from the present poverty , that the trades are now with us to a man—that nine-tenths of
the shopkeepers , who are jurors , are with usthat the wife of every working man in England is with us—that the young blood of England is flocking around us , while the rotten trunk of corruption only relies for its preservation upon the last blow—the hulk , and the dungeon . J Now , my friends , when we have such an augmentation of force , shall we surrender the proud and vantage ground which we have held against such fearful odds ?
Let the Convention meet—and , m plain and simple language , convince the working classes that the Church property belongs to the flock and not to the shepherds , and that that alone would locate one million of families in a free castle , surrounded b y four acres of ground , and give to each £ 50 in capital , thus taking five millions of people from the artificial labour market , thereby establishing the standard of wages in that market , by the united interest of the employer and the employed , instead of by a pauper competitive reserve .
Let the manufacturers understand that they would constitute a surer , a hotter , a safer , and a richer colony than they can find in China or India . Let the landlords understand that they will require less poor-rates . Let the shopkeepers understand that they will be better customers . Let the trades understand that they will be better employers . Let the artificial labourers understand that " they will be better produce ! s . Let the parsons understand that they will be better Christians ; the lawyers , that they will be worse customers . The government , that they will be better tax-payers . The Queen , that they will be better suhjecls ; and themselves , that they will be freemen .
The rent of those four million acres , the onefifteenth part of the land of the country , would supply a revenue larger than any government could require ; and under those provisions I would undertake to set every man in England to profitable work ; and herein , Chartists , consists the superiority of our movement over any other that the world ever heard of . . 1 wouldn't give you a straw for any political change if we were not prepared with our social reform ; and upon the acquisition of this political change and social reform , I have fixed my every thought , and for its accomplishment I would risk my lite against fearful odds .
Remember Napoleon's character of Murat ; he said , "MARSHAL , YOU ARE A WOMAN IN THE CABINET , BUT A LION IN THE FIELD . " I now turn to the last point of consideration , namely , my comment upon the " Nation . " Now is there a Chartist who reads the Northern Star who has forgotten Mr DufTj ' s . letter , and my answer to it , within these two months , wherein he charged the Chartists with violence , and the folly
and injustice of running upon the Banks , and having cited a few rare instances of good landlords and aristocrats in Ireland , he showed that it was folly in the people to attempt to gain anything without a union with those parties ? and is it not notorious as the sun at noonday that until sparred ou by the brave and magnanimous Mitchel—of whom I think by day and by night—that every Irishman in England was giving up the "NATtON , "and passing resolution * in strong condemnation against it ?
Well then , was I not justified in my censure , and where is the man who has done mere , or who is prepared to do more , to form an alliance between the English Chartists and the Irish Repealers than I have ? or where is the Irishman who would go further to rid bis country of despotism ? Have I not told the English people a thousand times , that if I could prevent it they never should have their liberty till Irishmen had theirs ? and I wish I was not provoked to write upon the subject of Ireland , as the very thought of her condition makes my bluod boil and deprives me of reason ; but this il say , that I would rather be found slain amongst the vanquished in the struggle for liberty , than be found living in the ranks of tiie conqueror . I must really hold my pen , for it swells so , that it reminds me of 1 don't know what .
Irishmen are not made of that selfish or ungenerous stuff that would tolerate years of abuse of me and my party , and then be over nice in censuring me for defending myself . In conclusion , I have only to add , that I regret that any misconstruction should have been put upon my letter of the 22 nd , assuring you , that , in spite ol Gagging Bills , of danger , persecution , or death , you will always find me foremost in the Chartist , ranks , holding to my
motto" Onward and wa conquer , Backward and wo fall !' THE PEOPLE'S CHARTER , AND NO SURRENDER ! And if the sacrifice of life must be the offering to prove my devotion , I beg leave to assure you , thai while the ginger-beer poppers have been faring very luxuriously and sleeping comfortably , that 1 have been suffering pain , debility , and exhaustion , to which 1 have heretofore been a stranger ; and , that
there may be no mistake between us any longer , I am for a Convention of purely working men I am for that Convention consisting of forty-nine I am for calling it the Convention , as we call the Charter the Charter ; I am for that Convention propounding a code of social laws , not forgetting our political rights ; and I am for waiting to see how far the combination of shopkeepers , trades , and Irish Repealers , led by their legitimate leaders ,
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and how far liberals and free traders in the House of Commons will go with the people ; but I ara not / or placing myself in the situation of being spurned and reviled for withholding my advice . And now , what I esteem as creditable to myself , and what will be satisfactory to the Chartist body , is , that I regret any misconstruction that was placed upon my letter of the 22 nd , and assuring you that * I am , as I have ever been , and ever will be , Your sincere , your affectionate and devoted Friend , and uncompromising and unpurchaseable Representative , FEARGUS O'CONNOR
. P . S . 1 have j ust received a very striking instance of popular regard . By a letter from Halifax I learn that ray absence from the West Riding meeting , on Good Friday , gave great dissatisfaction . On Wednesday I was in the House of Commons from twelve o'clock to six . On Thursday I was engaged at the Northern Star Office , till twelve at night . On Friday morning I started for Manchester , to fulfil an engagement of two months ' standing . Now , suppose that I had attended the meeting at Halifax , I should have travelled all the Thursday night , which I am not just now prepared to do , nor will I do : after the out-door meeting I
shouldhayg gone to Manchester , where , according tojjnginai arrangement , a tea party was to take place at live o ' clock , and then I should have left Manchester at six o ' clock on Saturday morning , as I did do , to be in the House of Commons at two o ' clock on that day . So much for popular consideration , and I think I have a right to eay , ' Save rne from my friends . ' But it appears that the Secretary of the meeting did not read my letter written some days before , stating the utter impossibility of my attending the West Riding Meeting and the Manchester Tea-party on the same day .
But , I have t ' consolation to believe and know that you—the fustian jackets , the blistered hands , and unshorn shins—would rather spare roe for a day than lose me for ever , as I am your servant . F . O'C .
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¦ ' T AND ¦ NATIONAL RADESJOURNAL j — ifiiiMiniiii i - — * ' ——^» - —» *
VOL- XI . No 549- LONDON . ! SATURDAY , APEIL 29 , 1848 . m « ¦ SSTJHKS' ^ W-. ^ , __^ - ¦ i ^ . . 7 J
To The Members To Be Located On Snig's E...
TO THE MEMBERS TO BE LOCATED ON SNIG'S END . Mr Fkibnds , —I now steal a moment from the bustle of politics to give you some information as to \ our fate . The weather for the last three months has been one incessant down-pour , which naturally obstructed our operations hare , but , now the season has become more genial , I shall commence planting your potatoes and cabba < ies , and sowing turnips , and ether things next weak , and I think , when you see the paradise that I have prepared for you , you will say that my time has not been mis-spent , even is the excitement of politics ; and if you would ask t . vo or three of the drunken editors of the Dibpatah to
accompany jou here , I think the sight would even convert trwra . Had it not baen for tie rain , yon would have been located here about the middle of May ; a pleasure , however , which you will have on tbe second Monday in June , when you will see your crops growing , and your houses well aired ; but believe me that it was no joke , in the wettest season ever remembered , to draw bricks and stones four miles for eighty-six houses , and making roads ; sand , five miles ; lime , two miles ; and timber and slate , seven miles ; however , by that time all will be dose , and you will be happy . Faithfully yours , Feahous O'Connor .
Aggregate Meeting Of The Trades Of Londo...
AGGREGATE MEETING OF THE TRADES OF LONDON .
ADOPTION OF THE PEOPLE'S CHARTER AND " REPEAL . " On Wednesday evening , a meeting of the trades of the Metropolis took place at the National Hall , High Hoi born , to receive the report of a committee of delegates appointed at a former meeting , to consider and report on the destitute condition of the London trades , as also to define the causes which have led to that destitution , and to state the remedies considered necessary for its removal . ' The halljwas densely crowded . Shortly after eight o'clock the chair was taken by Mr E . Edwards , president of the delegates .
The Chairman briefly stated the object of the meeting , as above , and said that they were also met t ¦) exercise tho constitutional right of petitioning the legislature . The conveners of this meeting loved the motto of' Peace , law , and order , ' knowing that anything which interrupted the natural flow of capital tended to throw workmen out of employment .. This movement had originated in a conviction that deep and wide-spread distress existed amoncst tht industrious population of London . Out of 200 , 000 workmen , one-third were wholly unemployed , another third had only casual employment , and thiremainder were in work , but received , in many cases , greatly reduced wages . ( Hear , hear . ) In ilie provinces things were still worse . Why was this ? to
Men w ^ ro willing work ; they despised pauper aid ; but they were unavoidably idle . ( Hear ) Tiie committee had sought for the causes of this state of hings , and believed they had hit on some cf the principal . ones . First was the monopoly of land , which ought to belong to all ; the want of political power was another potent cause , for the denial oi their rights to the working classes was most detri . mental to their interests . Another evil was the tixed priea of gold , while all other commodities fluctuated in value . Prison labour competed witb mans blanches of industry : mats , and articles formed of cin , were actually sold from the prisons at a Jess price than the materials cost the manufacturers ,
while the nation had to pay M 0 per head per annum for the maintenance of prisoners . ( Hear , hear . ) The amount of labour now dormant was so great as to be equivalent in value to a milli'i" ^ nriinci div . Another serious grievance was the introduction of foreign manufactures at a lower uuuuuat raw ot duty . To remedy this evil the committee had suggested tho establishment of * a labour protection Doan ! , tba members , elected by- the working classes , to have seats in the legislature , and the president to be a member of the cabinet' ( Hear , hear . ) As a wurkman . he was convinced thai ; the workmen could obtain , ail thoy desired by argument and constitutional means ' alone-.
The Chairman then read the report . The following are the principal ponians : — From » 11 the information submitted to your committee it appears that the number of artisans aa'I mechanics ( that is , persons working at trades ) , at present in London , amounts to at least 200 , 000 men . And from the statistics furnished by tho dulcgatea these 200 , 000 men may be said to bo situate as follows ;—One-third tin . ployed ; but many of them at woites wholly inadequate to obtain f > r themselves and families a sufficient supply of the necessaries of life Tho next third arc about half
employed ; and vast numbers of this division are suffering i ' rom great privations , and obliged to dispose of ttuir el . ittsea and furniture , in the ho ; w of being ; able to avoid absolute pauperism . The rinwin'n ^ third ara entirely out of work , aud havo been so for several months past ; of this third it msy bo truly said , that whilst pome ara n-jw living up m credit , after having disputed of thuir effects , thousands are obliged to aceept , aa a last resource , the hateful badge of unwilling pauperism viithUi the walls of union workhousta . Such , your comin . ttee say , is but a faint though decisive description of the ac tual state of tho London trades in March , 1 S 48 .
Ihe causes which have , step by step , originated this Amount of missiry arc , in tho opinion of your committee —1 . The usurpation and possession of land , which , beiug the gift of tho Almighty , as the means irom which man was to obtain subsistence , should alwaja bo helu in sacred trust for the benefit of tho people at lai'ge , 2 . The usurpation of political power to make laws that govern the masses , thus unenfrauchieing and politically degrading the productive classes . 3 . Tho fired price ef gold as tho medium of exchange , i . Competition with home machinery , and the introduction of foreign manufactures , combined with felon and workhouse labour supported by puolio and parochial funda . C . Tho monopolies aud protection whvoh government maintains and affords to nil its employes in state and church . G , Tho cru ^ l and
reckless neglect of tho legislature not making the required arrangements ; first , to usefully tmnloy the destitute ; and scco . ully , to properly educate tho ignorant . To coaimenco tho inevitable change needed in the exWtiug system of affairs and their management , jour committee rccomtn . 'tid the following resolutions , as forming a foundation of principle- ) whereon to construct , either at onco or ultimately , the measures for the amelioration aud batter yrotee ' . ion of the labouring clasaee : —1 , That as skill and labour are admitted by all to bo the primary agents in Wo pr ^ iio-lbn of capital , it follows as aosnstquenco that the compulsory idleness in which a largo portion of tho industrious classes are ksptis an unbearable evil to themselves , alarming to tho peaceable and weil-dlsposcd , rainouB to tbo national resources , and , if not speedily romodied , most * $ ad to
Aggregate Meeting Of The Trades Of Londo...
crime and anarchy . 2 . That It Is it primary duty of the government to introduce measures that will immediately secure employment and education for all ' who require them , with a guaranteed sufficiency of the necessaries and comforts of life to each . 3 . Tbat , as great Britain and Ireland contain a superabundance of land and ot ' ier materials , as well as skill and capital , to profitably employ and cimfortably support several times the present number of the population ; tho government should introduce ! a bill establishing eelf-eupporiing bom » colonies , wherein the surplus labour of the country might bs employed , and the social condition of the workers permanently improved . 4 . That for the just protection of the rights of labour , a * labour . protecting board' be es . tabllshed , tbe members of which shall bs elected by the working classes , and , in virtue of their appointment , be entitled each to a seat in the House of Commons—the
president being a member of the cabinet—as the rspre . sentatlves of labour and the guardians of its nights , 5 . That the trades of London should respectfully bat firmly demand of th" legislature to extend the elective franchise to ever ; man of twenty-onp years of age , of sound mind , and uncontawinated by crime . 6 . That taxatfon should be equalised , by substituting for all other taxes , no matter their character , a graduated property tax . 7 . That a currency be issued by the government , based on the credit of the cation , ' and eqnal to tbe wealth offered for exchange . 8 . Thai a measure should be passed to protect the labouring classes from the existing unequal system of competition from foreign menufaoturers and felon and workhouse labour , each trade being called upon to determine what amount of work would constitute a fair daj ' s labour , and the law affixing upon that amount a fair remuneration .
In conclusion , your committee have to state that , from all reports which have reached them , the trades of London are formed of men of peace , who wish to maintain order . Yst they cannot conceal the fact that there ia , in tho progress of every nation , a crisis which must either tend to the prosperity and happiness of the people , or cause anarchy and decay . That Great Britain is now approaching that crisis ; and , in order to produce the prosperity wanted , political rights must be conceded , social degradation removed , the organisation of labour firmly established , and , as far as possible a full mea-¦ are of justice guaranteed to all .
Mr A . CampbelIi moved the adoption of a petition to the legislature , founded on the report . He expressed his canviotioH that the present was ' the beginning of the end , ' and said it behoved every ene seriously to reflect on the presect alarain aipecfc of affairs , which indicated misgovernment to a sad extent . It was monstrous to talk of tbe population pressing on the means of existence ; the country , cultivated as it might be with our present knowledge of agriculture , wax capable of sustaining 100 millions of inhabitants . WKat was wanted was a reorga ' . isation of capital , labour , atd s-kill , so as to ensure full employment and sufficient wages to all . ( H « ar , hear . ) Whatever the composition of the goverament—Whip , Tory , or Chartist—peace could not be | maintained
without a reorganisation of our institutions . ( Cheers . ) Seeing the numbers who were pining away , and fast approaching that point at which it became more painful to live than die . the greatest wonder to him was that tho people were sa quiot . ( Cheers . ) He hoped they would continue quiet , but firm , that was the best and shortest wavof gaining their end . ( A voice , ' The Charter . ' ) it was well for them to consider what they most needed , and he thought this was the right to live comfortably by their labour , and the power to educate their children . ( Chsers . ) Tho working millions sought no interference with property ; lot those who had wealth keep it ; but let the millions have the power of creating wealth for themselves . ( Hear . ) The land , the birthright of the
people , ontiht to be the common property of all ; but they sought not to take it by violence or fraud . Insti t ' utions mu-t be changed ; the progress of tbe human mind demanded it ; pnd nothing s ^ ort of a miracle could prevent that change . _ He exhorted the operatives to do away with all aristocratic feelings among themselve ? , whereby those who were the best paid ware sometimes led to look slierhtingly on their less fortunate brethren . ( Hear . ) Let them seek to elevate labour by union , firmness , and a high mora ! feeling , and to convince all classes that without labour capital was va l ueless . If capitalists chose , let them leave the country , and take their capital with them ; tb ^ y could not take the land , nor the muscular arms of tho working classes . It was only by doing justice
to those classes that her Majesty ' s crown and government ciuld be maintained in security . ( Loud cheers . ) Mr Holmes seconded the adoption of the petition , and said the trades had ample power , if they chose to employ it , to work out their own amelioration . If properly united , they conld paralyse the govern , meat whenever they thought proper , without any resort to force , which he , for one , would sooner emp ' oy than go through such another winter as the la-t . Sooner than be reduced to the state of their brethrea in Ireland , he thought it would be better to risk their lives against the s * ord . ( Loud cheers . ) Petitions like the one now proposed had already been adopted in Manchester and other towns : and surely government would not turn a deaf ear to tbe general demand of a united people . ( Hear , hoar . )
Mr CnoacHiLii then moved an amendment . He said , although there were trades , there was little difference between them and their brethren , seeking ( heir freedom from political thraldom . Mr Churchill here paid a hijjh tribute of respect to tho work- j ius classes of England , for the support they had given to their continental brethren , and censured the press for its manifold misrepresentations of _ labour ; charged tho Whi , g government with possessing a de- j siro to embroil this cDuntry in war , but it was the j duty of the people to say ' Stop , you are our servants j no more . ' ( Great cheering . ) Mr Churchill paid a ' tribute to the authors of the report and defied the llonso of Commons to produce ono to equal it . I
( Loud cheers . ) The provisional government ot France had alraady adopted several of their suggestions . Government had hitherto set class against class—acting upon the motto ' Divide and conquer . ' , ( Hear , hear . ) And he wished them to avoid this . VVel ) , others had asked rights , not aa to end ail and be all , but simply as a means to an end . He sincerely called on them to adopt the amendment , he was about to propose . He then read the other five points of the Charter in addition to tV . e clause embracing Universal Suffrage , and added Repeal of the Union . Tiie ataendment was received with tremendous cheering . He concluded by atating that thoy would be a by word for ever and ever if they did not now obtain their rights . ( Cheering . )
Mr Jons Skslton , ( shoemaker ) said , he Seconded the amendment . It weuld not interfere with the subject matter of the petition , and would be an improvement on it . Trade ? hitherto stood idle , and allowe-l their fellow men to be starved outot existence . ( Loud cheers . ) It was their duty to sympa thise with their brethren in Ireland , and not allow them to be thrust out of existence either by starvation or by the law . ( Cheers . ) Mr M Swbent said a few words in opposition to what had fallen from Mr Skelton . Mr Reynolds said , he could not agree to the amendment . If thoy took in a similar petition to that taken in a fortnight tinco , they would be treated in the same manner . They would all be willim : at a proper time to aid thorn for the Ch ? . rtiv . ( Loudcheers . )
Mr Vernon aaid , It had been asserted the Chartists wished to create disunion . Now he declared that the obj ? ct cf every good Chartist was at the present moment to causa union and fraternisation amongst all classes of the industrious orders . ( Great cheering . ) He said if they adopted tho amendment , such a union would be cemented as eyon the Emoeror of Russia could not put down ( liOud cheers . ) Mr Makis said a few words in favour of tho amendment . Mr Esserv , ( tailor ) , opposed the amendment , Mr A . Oampbxll said a few words in reply , and said tho mover , seconder , nnd supporters of the amendment had agreed with them so far as thsy went ; thus far they were aij agreed—with the little addition to that ; he would say their report had been discussed at a delegate mscting , and by them agreed to , they not boing wishful to go into details .
The Chairman then put tho question , and the amendment was carried by a very large majority ( only a few hands being held up against it ) , amidst the most enthusiastic catering , Mr RdBioN , ( skormak ?! - ) , said they had done their duty , they submitted their report ; the meeting had been pleased to add tho other points of the Charter , and as one of a committee of trades , at tho head of a body comprising sixty thousand men , he could declare solemnlythere were not twelve of them but werein favour of the Charter . ( Great applause ) And further , ho would say that at the present time , it was impossible to call a public mteeting of tbe trades fairl . f and openly , but the majority , a very lar- 'e majority , would bs found in favour of those principles they hid embodied and carried in their amendment . ( Gre . ifc cheering . )
It was ultimately resolved that the Committee ol Metropolitan Trades , should take measures to present the petition just adopted . Mr Isaac Wilson moved : — ' That steps b ; - taken for organising the metropolitan Grades , in ccmm < i ' with tho other trades of tho country , in favour ol the principles contained ia their report . ' Seconded And carried unanimously , A vote of thanks was then given . by acclamation to Mr Edwards , tho chairman , uhoin acknowledg-
Aggregate Meeting Of The Trades Of Londo...
of the trade delegates , he would undertake that their petition would be forwarded to tbe proper authorities , and its principles duly maintained . ( Loud cheers . ) This most crowded and enfcausiaaticmasting was then dissolved ;
Abridged Notices Of Chartist Meetings. F...
ABRIDGED NOTICES OF CHARTIST MEETINGS . Frees of matter has compelled the cutting down of a mux of reports of Chartist meetings . We can only state that meetings have been held at Gbeenock , where Mr Peacock was elected to the Assembly * . ' , t , , ,. Dbbdkb , where Mr M'Crae wa elected to tho Assembly ; V Hanlkv , where Mr M'Grath w » 9 elected totha Assembly , and the memorial to t he Queen adopted . Lbioewbk , where resolutions of confidence in Ms O'Conaor wore unanimously adoptedi Stpchpmjt . —A succession of splendid meetings were held hare which have been addressed by Messrs West and CJark of the Executive . ; Hull . —An open-air meeting wa ^ held on Good Friday , when Mr Stephens was elected to the Assembly , and the memorial to the Queen adoptedt [ Mr * Stephens has been deprived of employment ( be sitting as delegate in the Convention . ' ]
Grbbkwick and DitprFoao . —A large meeting waa held on Blackhcath , on Sunday morning . Recently , a fraternal meeting of Chartists and Repealers was held at the Druid's Arms , Greenwich , when a joint associat ion wa « for aied , and officers appointed , KwonLKr . —At an open air meeting Mr R . Whitfield wan appointed delegate to the assembly . Moitram , where Mr Wild addressed a large meeting . A camp meeting will be held at 1 o ' clock , on Sunday , en Wodensougu Green .
Walsall . —An open air meeting was held on Easter Monday , which was addressed by Mr Mason , OfMirmiBgham , and other speakers . Oldham . —Tho anniversary of opening the Workirg Men ' s Hall , was celebrated on Sunday last . Messrs Cooper , ef Manchester , and Tattersall , of Burnley , delivered splendid addresses . Braintrib , Esasx —An open-air meeting was held on Good-Friday . Mr Donovan , of the Convention , delivered an excellent speech . Resolutions ia supp'rt of the Convention and the Charter were adopted .
WAKBFiELD ^ -Mr J . Shaw lectured here on the 20 th insf ., and gave great satisfaction . Huokmohdwickb . —Several meetings ha ? e been held here . The movement is advancing . Wditiinoton ahd Cat , Church-row , Tower Hamlets . —On Sunday evening the letter of the Ash ton Chartists was read and discussed , when a resolution was unanimously passed that a committee of fifteen be appointed to carry out the same . Eightythree shares were taken up , $ nd one pound nine shillings and fourpence paid on the same . The committee adjourned to Saturday evening , at eight o'clock ; and en Wednesday , May 3 rd , at eight for njne o'clock , when all persona wishing to take up shares can do so on application to the secretary .
Hoirow , —On Sunday evening , April 23 rd , there wus a meeting held at the Oak , corner of Old Ivystreet , Hoxton Now Town , when a section of the National Charter Association was opened . Mr Dixon will give a lecture , on next Sunday evening , at the above place . Thk National Assembly . —Communications con « damning tbe postponement of the meeting of tho Assembly , as suggested by Mr O'Connor ia last wet k ' s Star , have been received from Barnsley , Wolverhampton , and Glss'ow .
In addition to adhesions published in other columns communications applauding Mr O'Connor ' s conduct , and approving of the suggested postponement of the Asuembly , hare b . 'en received from Hull and Warrington .
Forthcoming Meetings. Stockport.—Ob Sund...
FORTHCOMING MEETINGS . Stockport . —Ob Sunday next , Mr John Weifc will lecture at six o ' clock P . M . Makchbstbk . — . Mr E . C . Clark will deliver a lecture in the People ' s Institute on Sunday , April 30 . Chair to be taken at six o ' clock , p m . Wiwcastleon-Ttse . —The members of this branch of the Land Company are requested to meet in the house of M . Jade , on Sunday evening , April 30 . Mr James Watson will deliver a lecture in the house of M . Jude , on Sunday evening , April 30 , at seven o'clock . Stratford . —A meeting of the members will be held at Morley ' s CoSee House , on Monday evening , May l * t ., at eight o ' clock . Lkickstsb . —The members of tho National Land Company belonging to Mr Goodby ' s branch are requested to meet at their room , Hill-street , on Monday evening next , at eight o ' clock .
Birmingham . —The members of the National Charter Association are requested to meet in the People ' s Hall , on Sunday evening , at six o ' clock . Nottingham . —The next meeting of the Land members will ba held at the Poplar Tree , on Sunday evenint ' - at seven o ' clock . The West Riding Delegate Meeting will bo held on Sunday , May 7 th , at Butterworth-buildings , Bradford . Badness to commence at half-past twelve precisely . A South Lancashire Delegate Meeting will be held at Mr Whitakcr ' s , Temperance H'ltel , 93 , Ancoatsstreet , Sunday , April 30 . Chair ts be taken at nine 6 ' ckck . The follow ing localities are requested to sesd the levy of one halfpenny per head i . o liquidate expenses incurred at Oldham Edjre—Manchester , Mottram , Stalybridge , Stockport , Ash ' on , Rochdale , Hyde , Failsworth . Oldham , Warrington , St Helens , Liverpool , Eccle-s Newton Heath , and Middleton .
Heckmondwike . —A lecture will be delivered in tbe Red Chapel , on Monday evening , May 1 st , at half-past seven o ' clock , by Mr Wm . Newsome , Lbbds . —The members of the National Land Company are requested to bring in their contribution cards on Sunday , April 30 ; h , at two o'clock in the ift moon ; on Wednesday evening , May 3 rd , and Thursday evening , May 4 th , from ssveu to nine o ' clock ; and on Sunday afternoon , May Teh , at two o ' clock in the afternoon , in the back end of the Bazaar . Sowerbv Helm . —A district camp meeting will be
held to-morrow , at this place , at two o ' clock in the afternoon , whtn Messrs Taylor , Rushton , Shackleton , and others , are expected to address the meeting . A district delegate meeting will be held at the Aslecia tion-room , Sowerby Helm , at eleven b ' elock in the forenoon , when each locality in the district is requested to send a delegate . All communications to be addressed to Joseph Riley , secretary , No . 6 , Bankstreet , Cross-Geld , Halifax . i -Brunswick Hall , Limkrousb . —Mr Fussell will lecture , on Monday , May 1 st , on the People ' s Charter . Chair to bo taken at eisht o ' cloafc .
Liitlb Tow-v , mar Lskds . —Tho Land members are requested to attend a general meeting on Sunday , April 30 th , at the house of Mr Charles Brooks , at ten o ' clock in the forenoon , IIuruah for tub Chabter—A meeting will be held in St Panoras Fields , Old St Pancraa Road , on Sunday afternoon , April 30 ih . Several delegates to tha National Assembly will attend and address the meeting . Chair to ba taken at three o ' clock . Organise!—An Organisation Committee having been appointed by tho Sjmers Town , locality on Thursday evening Ust , hereby solicit their brother Chartists , in Loudon , to send two delegates from each locality to a meeting that will be held on Monday evening next , at the house where tho Democratic Committee met , at eight o ' clock , when the plan propounded by the National Convention will bs submitted to the meetia * .--Jonx Akxott , subsecretary .
Toweb Hamlets . —Mr T . Preston will lecture at the Globe and Friends , Morgan-street , Commcrcialraad East , on Sunday , April 1 st . Chair taken at half-past seven oVIick . The eorfvnitt & j for conducting the Executive to O'CoEnorviua will meet at seven o ' clock , A Public Meeting of the Lind members in London , will be held at the Assembly Rooms , 83 , D ^ an-street , Soho , on Tuesday , May Sad , at seven o ' clock in the evening , to investigate into the charges to ba brought against the manager and directors for dp gleet of duty & c—By order of the Westminster Lnnd Branch . Jas . Gra ^ by , Sec . Metropolitan Meeting . —A public meeting will be held oa Sunday next , in Bishop ' s Bonner ' s Fields , Victoria Park . ChRir to ba taken at 3 o ' clock . Ernest Joaes , Dr M'Douall , Messrs Vernon , Sharpe , and J . Shaw , willadaross the meeting .
'Iower Hamlets . — The Tower Hamlets Agitation Committee will meet at Mr Perry ' s Cofffle-house , Church-street , Shoreditcb , on Sunday morning , April 30 , at ten o ' clock ; . and also at the G ' obe and Friends , Morgan ^ treet , Commercial-road , at eight o'clock on Wednesday evening , May 3 rd . Somkrs Town . — -Mr George Caudelet , delegate to the National Assembly from Hyde , Lancashire , will deliver a public lecture on Sunday evening next , at the Bricklajcrs'Arms , Tonbridge-strcet , Netrroad j to commence at eight o ' clock . The Metropolitan Delegate Committee will
meet on Monday evening next at 1 W- H 'S Ho 1 bom , on important business .
The London Repealers. Pmb Of Ohwtist Int...
THE LONDON REPEALERS . Pmb of Ohwtist intdUB enco will allow us only to , tnte tint the usual enthusiMtto ^ tiugs or tho Davis Cub' lha ' Cornm Cub , ' tbo ' Honest Jack Lawless Club ' aij-1 clubs In Mivylebone , Wappm ? , and Greea-Wicl ., ' havo token pJ « o « . We -hall try to find room In our nest Ur ous of tfca moet recent of the ' CumsiUsu of I / MT-ture '—namely , a letter from tho would-te learttr / Jomi O'Connell . Meetings f < r t ! io ensuing week : — Sbndat . — ' Victc . r ? , ' Nercenham . street , Edgewprci-aad ; ' Gram Mmi , ' BernicK-vr et , Oxford street ; > Dru ' . d ' s Anns , ' Greenwich ; aad Ttmpcrav . ee Hall , Wapptog . MuMiit . —Assembly Rooms , Dian-strett ; WortiBg Man '* Temperance Hail , Carterot-street , Westminster . Wednesday , —Assembly Rooms , Daaa . street .
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), April 29, 1848, page 1, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_29041848/page/1/
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