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November 11, 1848. THE NORTHERN STAR ; 5...
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MR R1CARDO, M.P. FOR WORCESTER, AND THE ...
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CHARTIST FORTHCOMING MEETINGS, Sunday, N...
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FORTHCOMING LAND MEETINGS. To hear the R...
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A Fat Pauper.—A woman, who has been an i...
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was made , the result of of supeiabunda-...
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.
To The Members Of The National, Land Com...
_jjug bam , he was present , and could answer for _iuroself . _Themoieofmanagingthecarters ' _-work ** ra 3 this—if one set went to the stone quarry , each pair of horses brought an equal load , and every man brought an equal number of loads . He paid f ° r he stone by the square yard , and open each Saturday night the overseer , whose business it was to keep an account of every load drawn , made his report to Mr O'Connor . If they went five turns for stone , every man _-ras obliged to perform that duty , and every man did perform that duty . If they could go
three times to the lime-kiln , every man wa 9 compelled to do so ; and if they went twice for sand , every man was obliged to do so . And he would take upon himself to say , that in no single instance was this amount of labour skulked . That he had done more labour with his horses for 8 s ., than he could hire for 2 l . ; and that , excepting one instance at O'Connorville , where a labourer got drunk , and stripped , and challenged another to fi ght ) he had never seen a drunken man upon anv estate . So much for the horses . "
Mr Cumngham rose and said— " Mr Chairman , may I be permitted in fairness to say , that , in all my life , I never sat down in company with one of the carters—that I never met them at any public-house—and that I never drank half a pint of beer with any one of them , so help me God ! or saw one of them drunk ; and I appeal to Mr Rider—one of the _delegates , and a carpenter—whether he ever saw me drunk on the estate V Mr Rider . —I certainly never saw Mr Cullingham drank upon the estate in my life .
Mr O Connor . —The next cbarge is , tbat of Mr Lawrence having received 30 s . a week for having superintended his own men . Mr Lawrence did not receive 30 s . a week , he received IL a week—not for superintending his own men , but for superintending the cutting out of the foundations upon the proper sites marked out by Mr O'Connor , and which was one of the operations that required the greatest vigilance and circumspection . The men employedin thatwork might put the Company to considerable expense , if not _superintended by a person who understood the
business . " The next was , thegreat waste that had been committed . As regarded that , several carpen ters who had been engaged on the works of private individuals , had stated , and pnt it in writing , that they never saw so small an amount of waste of the property of any individual ; and wbat he ( Mr O'Connor ) was prepared to assert aud prove was , that there was
not one pounds worth of waste committed npon the property of the Company , but that , on the contrary , every particle that was over from one estate was carried to another . He asserted , beforemany carpenters—whom he invited to contradict him if what he stated was not true—that the most niggardly master could not have been more careful of every morsel of property , even to the bnrning of the sawdust for manure .
"The next charge was , that Mr Taylor—Mr Cullingbam ' s son-in-law—received 3 l . a week ; while the books would show that he received 15 s . a week , and sometimes IL , and that his contract was the same to the farthing as every other painter—namely 21 . Ss ., for giving a cottage and outbuildings four coats of paint , finding his own colour . ( Hear , hear . ) "As io the counsel not being present , the
Directors are aware that Mr O'Connor offered to pay the most eminent connsel his fees out of Ms own pocket ; but Mr O'Connor was not aware at the time that he made the announcement that Conference met precisely at the commencement of the term , just when clients and business were pouring in , aud at a time when counsel worth having could not leave Loudon whatever fee was offered .
"As to the charge of allowing tradespeople and labourers to go into the cottages before the time for location , it came with a bad grace irom Mr Edwards , who was so pathetic about the poor . He would not only plead guilty to this charge , but he would do so with pleasure , and he was only too happy to be able to accommodate those whose numbers , coming upon a sudden , always increase tbe price of ledgings ;
but he would tell Mr Edwards more , that although he was not aware that they did consume much of the roots , yet if * he ( Mr O'Connor ) saw them without firing while the roots were there , he would tell them to use them and welcome , and he-wondered whether the house being aired would be better or worse for the occupant ? He was only too happy to have it in his power to make them as comfortable as possible .
" Lastly , with respect tothe removal of Mr O'Connor from the Directory , he could only say , that for that proposition he wonld cheerfully vote himself ( Laughter . ) And if such was the wish ef the Conference , he would not , like other dismissed Directors , ask them to pay his wages , or the money that was due to him . ( Hear , hear . ) And now he would carry the war into the enemy ' s camp , and he begged leave to ask Mr Edwards , whether the itinerating bagman , who travelled Devonshire to abuse the Land Company , had been employed at Snig ' s End , and if so , in what branch ? Mr Edwards . —He was engaged as a sawyer . Mr O'Connor . —Then , Sir Boyle Roach ' s bird was a fool to him ; the bird could only be in
two places at once , while the bagman appeared to be possessed of ubiquity . Here was a sawyer working under a shed , seeing a man resting npon Ids plough , men drinking at the Fea _thers , men digging foundations , men grubbing , waste committed , and inspecting the wages hook—all at tbe same time . And this honest sawyer , holding sixteen shares—four four-acre shares—who had so laudable an interest in the well-being of the Company , had paid up 9 s . 6 d . npon tbe sixteen shares , according * to the Secretary ' s book , just handed to me , or sevenpence a snare . He would now ask Mr Ed--n-ards another question—it was , whether Mr Francis Putt , of Snig ' s End , was his other informant , and the other Devonshire firebrand ? Mr Edwards , —He certainly was .
Mr O'Connor . —Now then , for tbis gentlemen . Of all the villains that ever disgraced any society , this fellow is the greatest . He bought a wood from me of eleven acres * he was to grub it , so that the plough could go over it , and to pay me £ 120 . My terms were that I should have half the money down , and tbat the wood should be grubbed under Mr King ' s inspection . He said he had the money in Devonshire—thathe would go for it-and pay it , according to the terms . I told Mr King that I had sold it to him . At that time , the Committee ofthe House of Commons on the Land
Company occupied my every hour . He went to Devonshire j did not bring tbe money , but brought a sample of cabbage plants , in which he proposed to pay me . ( Laughter . ) He took possession ofthe wood without my knowledge , Mr King presuming that he had paid according to contract ; he sold nearly 40 / . worth of bark , and some poles , in Gloucester , which . I heard of by mere chance , —I stopped the money , — I called an auction , sold a portion , detained the remainder , —he * robbed the Company of 5 G 1 , and I am now paying for the grubbing of the wood . ( Cries of shame . ) Mr O'Brien . —Oh ! I can speak to that villain _' scharacter ; of all the villains that ever were born I look noon that fellow as the greatest .
I will just tell the Conference one circumstance , and they may judge from that . Mr Cullingham eent him to perform some work at the school-house at Lowbands , —it took him a day and a quarter . I saw Mr Cullingham before the men were paid , and he asked me how many days Putt had worked , —I told him adayandaquarter . _MrCullingham said , "Why I have entered him into the book five days and a quarter—he told me that that was his time . " It was altered ; and when I saw Putt after , I said to him , " Well , Putt , you are tbe most nnmitigated rogue unhung ; you returned yourself to Mr Cullingham as having worked five daysand a quarter , while you only worked a day and a quarter ; ** and just mark the fellow ' s answer : he said inthe coolest manner
To The Members Of The National, Land Com...
possible : " Well , mig ht I not ' as well rob the Company as anybody else ? " ( Cries of " What a villain ! " ) Mr O'Connor . —Now , I think I have exposed the character ofthe two Devonshire bagmen that ' take so laudable an interest in this Company—the one has paid 9 s , fid . towards sixteen shares and has been discharged , and the other bas cheated the Company out of 50 i .. But this Conference must learn aud understand , that every man once employed thinks that he is engaged for life , and that when his work is done that it is tyranny to discharge
him , and thathe has a right to live upon the funds ofthe Company , and that if I deny that right I am the tyrant and must be abused . ( Hear , hear . ) Whereas , tbe salvation of the Company depends upon my faithful execution ofthe trust reposed in me , and my fixed determination never to gain popularity or toleration by tne violation of that trust . ( Cheers . ) ' Mr Edwards has said , that a practical builder has entrusted him with an estimate to
build houses for 807 . —another delegate proposes building bouses for 651 . ; but here is the distinction which all overlook—that I propose and will have uniformity of building , as I will not be charged with having built Irish cabins for the Land members ; and if there is one thing more tban another to which I seek to wed those members , it is not to their comfortable but actually to their stylish and convenient cottage , and after all that has been said about them I am here to affirm that there
never were , in this or any other country , such convenient cottages , cottages in every respect so well built , so well finished , and with the very best materials , And there are practical builders , many of them in this room , who have been on the several estates—there are occupants here from every one of the estates , and I defy them to find out one single fault . ( Hear , hear . ) "Now , then , I longed for this opportunity , to give an answer to every charge that might be brought against the Company . A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump ; a few scabby sheep infect the whole flock ; but I rejoice to think that nine in every ten of tbe
occupants are good , industrious , honest men , and , with God ' s blessing , I will very speedily drive the vermin from amongst us . ( Hear , hear . ) With regard to those 80 L and 657 . cottages , let the Conference bear in . mind , tbat they are not my cottages upon my plan and therefore furnish no data to go upon . A builder ia Gloucester , whose very heart and soul was in ( the Plan , proposed to build the cottages at 2407 . each , and now I will give the master builders ( the 657 . and 807 . gentlemen ) the rough items of the expenditure of one of our cottages . Bricks , 12 , 080 , at 30 s . £ 18 0 0 Timber and slates . . 30 0 0
The whole of the brick-work , slating , plastering , laying kitchen floor , fixing chimney pieces , setting stoves and range ? , and , " preparing for sleepers , making mortar and all . . 13 0 0 Carpenters' work . . 12 10 0 ( A voice from one of the bystanders , ' Too much . ' ) Mr . O'Connor . —Well , a word about that presently . Foundations , with plinth ,
including stone . . . 8 0 0 Painting , glazing , and glass . 3 0 0 Now there is 867 . without any margin for lime or sand , grates and stoves , locks , latches , hinges and ironmongery , chimney pots and stone chimney pieces , digging wells , sinking pumps , paying for them , lead fer valleys , and all the etceteras . Now that ' s my cottage . But let Mr Edwards ' s contractor , or anyothe man , propose to perform those several operations cheaper , and to leave twenty-five per cent , of the money unpaid till the work is approved of by my overseer , and then he shall have the contract for my houses , but not for his houses .
And now a word to my friend who says "too much " for the carpenters' work . Is he aware that there are three rooms , a dairy , a back kitchen , a cow house for two cows , a place capable of holding a pony , a place for roots , a privy , two sheds , a gate to the yard , a dresser in the kitchen up to the ceiling , with three drawers and five shelves a cupboard by the fire-place , up to the ceiling ; and two dwarf cupboards in the sitting-room . Now then , observe , my principal object in establishing this Flan was , to raise the rate of wages , while labourers themselves cry "too much . '" ( Hear . )
"Another charge was by the farmers in each district , that I raised the wages of the labourers . ( Hear , hear . ) Why that is the very life and soul of the Plan . I create a demand , and the supply in the market is worth more money : and now to hear such a charge . I will now state to this Conference , in presence of the Directors , of several of the overseers , and of many carpenters and builders who have been employed upon the estates —what no other _^ employer in Europe could state—that if we separated to-morrow , even in hostility , not one of them could charge me with one single mean , dishonourable ,
dishonest , or hypocritical act . I could defy them . ( " _- _. Hear hear , " from the Directors . ) I want to harmonise the labourers , and not to disunite them . I have told every overseer , that if he had a complaint to make against a man to make it in his presence , as I would not hear it in his absence ; and I can say what no other employer can say , tbat I never spoke a harsh word to any man since I commenced operations—that my every act has been upon tbe side of indulgence—and that as to practical builders and agriculturists , I will submit to no controul , if I did , like other societies , your ' s would verv speedily book up .
" I rejoice to have met so discreet , so valuable , so prudent a Conference , and I rejoice to think that you are within twelve miles of forty-two of the reviled houses—go and see for yourselves , and then censure if you can . I have stood an amount of slander , of labour , expense , anxiety , and trouble to realise this , the darling object of my life ; and I am resolved—with the assistance of such men as you—to overcome all opposition , and go on till I conquer every foe , and locate every unwilling idler in his _^ own castle , upon his own labour field . ( Loud cheers . )
Mr James Taylor , delegate for Ashton . — "There will be always grumbling—do what you will , you will never satisfy some people . ( Laughter , and " True . * " ) There were two in our district ; one chap got £ 65 , 1 think , for a three-acre allotment , and he began to growl ; and the wife of another in Stockport came away , and left her husband at O'Connorville , but nothing would satisfy them . Mr O'Connor . —Well , now , Mr Taylor hag
trul y stated one of the alternatives of the dissatisfied , namely—to sell their allotments ; and surely , the man wbo pays £ 2 12 s ., and gets £ 85 , as one did at O'Connorville , less the Company ' s charges ; and this man referred to , £ 65 for his £ 318 s . ; others £ 100 and £ 120 —they , have no great cause to complain . But , as regards the other case , he would just ask his friend Taylor , whether the name of the party is Wallwark ? Mr Taylor . —Yes ; that is the name .
Mr O'Connor . —Now , you see I am in a position to answer every single complaint of every single growler . I will now tell you this gentleman ' s SOLEMN POSITION , and my cruel treatment of him . He came to O'Connorville in August , 1846—the time of the Demonstration , affectingito believe that the occupants were to be located | then . * He brought his family and furniture , and broke
up his house . He was the onl y one fliat came , and he had no right to come till May , 1847 * I put him into a house , gave him permission to have plenty of firing , gave him milk for nothing , had two bedsteads made as his furniture was delayed , sent him chairs from my own house , and advanced him 57 . ( Hear , hear . ) Now that was that gentleman ' s " solemn position . " _fAad I mi g ht have
To The Members Of The National, Land Com...
added , that he had one ofthe _verybest allotments on any of the estates—that his interest is well worth 1007 . of any man ' s money—tbat the Directors sold the handkerchiefs that he wove at a penny above tbe market price—that even the " Star" office was one of his retail shops—they were advertised in the " Star , ' and everything that man _coulddo I did for that man /] fallowed him to pat np his loom in one ofthe cottages and paid for the repairs ofthe cottage vvhen it was taken down . He made gown pieces as well as handkerchiefs —he
had the first cottage at the entrance to the estate , and , with few exceptions , parties coming to visit the estate gave him large orders , so much so that he could not complete all . And now mind , I am not at all censuring the man , fori believe that a more industrious , a more honest , a more respectable man of his class there is not in England than Wallwark ; he was always either at work or with his family , he never went near a public house j but I will now narrate for the reader a p iece ofthe most consummate rascality that ever was perpetrated .
" Wallwork brought with him to O'Connorville two of the sweetest children I ever saw . They looked puny and delicate . Their mother told me and others that the hoy had some complaint which gave him a dizziness . When they were with me a short time the appearance of both delighted the parents , and astonished every one . They became perfect , patterns of health , and many a time I have gone into the cottage just at dinner hour or tea time , and Mrs Wallwork has told me that she could scarcely give them enough to eat NOW , _th _» agh they were very delicate at Stockport . Well , the winter was the trying season , and the children , as every one at O'Connorville will testify , went on growing , improving and getting more healthy . Not a day sick .
The summer came , and they looked blooming . I have seen them working in the field with the mother , all expressing themselves delighted . Every occupant will testify to this , as I am speaking how of tbe period after all were located . Well , mark the sequel and the horror : Mrs Wallwark returned to Stockport , and took the children ; the boy , I am told , went to work in the mill and died , and will it be believed , that the report was circulated—in fact , I understand it was stated at the inquest— -tbat the boy died in consequence of the damp of the house at O'Connorville . Now only think of the extent to which the opposing classes will carry their vengeance against this Plan ; a sickly sweet hoy comes to me in a delicate state of health from the
manufacturing district ; with me he becomes vigorous and healthy ; he goes back to the CHARNEL HOUSE and dies , and then the Land Flan is his murderer . There is not in England & more healthy spot than Herringsgate ; hut now you see what malice will do . [ The latter part of this statement was not made to the Conference , because I was not aware of the _j act at the time . ] " _Mr'O'Connor ; Now if there ' s any- —the most whimsical—charge to he brought against me , for mind I father all , I am now prepared to meet it , and this Conference shall not separate with my consent while one single complaint is unexplained .
Mr Sutton , from Manchester , said , that he represented a large district , and that , of course , representations would give rise to inquiry .. That he was directed by his constituents to support the appoint _, ment of a practical builder , and a practical agriculturist in the directory . And there were several rumours about Manchester—one was , that at the time Government passed the Gagging Bill , and when those emp _l oyed at Snig's End wanted some alteration , Mr O'Connor enacted a Gagging Bill there . He was bound to his constituents to make these representations and he had now performed his duty .
Mr O'Connor . —As to the practical agriculturist and builder being appointed of the Directory ; a man did not become an agriculturist at once ; he was instructing Mr Doyle in the operations , and he was one of the Directors . The place for the other Directors was ia the office attending tothe accounts , and never to leave it . He had a practical builder , and if he was a Director , he should he under his Mr O'Connor's controul , as he would not be answerable for the whims of anv man . And now as to the Gagging Bill : '
• ' At the time ofthe French Revolution , a Mr Sida * way , a blacksmith , who was going to assume the power of Dictator , and a fe _* tv others , called meetings to dictate terms to me—in fact , to take the mastery out of my hands . I sent them word , that if they had any complaint to make which militated against them as trades , tbat I was prepared to hear it . In consequence , a deputation of carpenters waited upon me to appoint a " chalk line man , " to assign the proper description of timber for his Work . That was just , and I did it ; and then I sent them word , that if they attempted to interfere in the management of the affairs of tbe Company , tbat I would send them every one about their business , as I was perfectly aware that the moment I showed weakness , they would assume despotism . Well , Mr Sidaway was the ringleader . The Secretary of the Gloucester Branch of the Charter Association
sent me all his letters , and but very few of the carpenters , indeed , took any part in those proceedings , as I am here to assert and affirm that , from the commencement of the works , no carpenter has ever made a complaint to me of any act of injustice . And now I will solve both this " Gagging Bill" and the conspiracy for you . " A Mr Ryan , one of the carpenters , urged on by Mr Sidaway , and others , went to Manchester and district , and circulated the most ridiculous and lying reports that ever were heard , but all actually amounting to nothing . This came to my ears , and I instantly demanded that a public meeting should be convened in Manchester , and I sent Mr Doyle , Mr
Cullingham , builder , and Mr King , bailiff , to attend that meeting , and to meet every charge . They went , and , in the first instance , both the meeting and the Committee appointed , having heard so much from Mr Ryan , were naturally suspicious . The Committee sat , I think , twice , and , I think , for ten or twelve hours—and after the most deliberate consideration of the whole _ca-e , they reported to another public meeting— called for the purpose—unani mously , as Mr Sutton and Mr Donovan are awarethat not one ofthe charges was sustained , and that they were frivolous and vexatious—and Mr Sidaway having written one version of the case to Ryan , and a completely different version to the Chairman .
it was recommended that Mr Sidaway should he discharged , and Mr Sidaway was instantl y discharged . And since his discharge , the basest acts ever committed by mortal bave come to light . He interfered in every one's business , and could not do bis own . And now , with regard to Mr Ryan , the complainant , I will show you the spring of his spleen . He was no carpenter , and bis work was so inefficiently done , that Mr Cullingham stopped £ 1 15 s . from his contract upon a bouse , and paid another carpenter for repairing his botched work . Now , that man
was not very likely to be friendly to such strjet management . What he stated was within the knowledge bf Mr Sutton and Mr Donovan , both of whom attended the meeting , and heard the report . Now , then , are there any more complaints ? as this Conference will see that hearing them is no waste of time . And I have only to add , that I hope the day is not far distant when—with the single exception of Mr Ryan—I shall have the pleasure and delight of seeing every carpenter , builder , and labourer , at work again . And I think that is the best proof of the harmony that has subsisted . ( Hear , hear , )
The Balance Sheet for the last quarter was then taken into consideration ; and , after very proper explanations being demanded of a few trifling items , it was accepted unanimously . One item wa 3 the sum of 2 s . 3 d . for omnibus fare , for two clerks , to two localities , to arrange some dispute between the secretaries and members of the districts , Another item of £ 7 odd , for Directors' travelling expenses to Bromsgrove , Snig ' s Bud , and back , and to London , was accounted for thus : —The Committee ofthe House of Commons directed Mr Grey , the accountant , to go to Bromsgrove , and inspect all tbe books , and that the Directors should meet him there . They came with the books to Bromsgrove—had to go from Bromsgrove to Snig's End for more books
—comeback , and return to London—and the amount of travelling expenses was low . The next was £ 6 , for expenses of Directors to Snig ' s End and back , which was consequent upon the necessity of the Directors being present with their books , when tbe allottees were located , to point out who had transferred , and who had received any portion bf Aid Money before location . It was supposed to be for the demonstration upon opening the estate , but Mr O'Connor explained tbat he refused his consent to vote a farthing of the funds for a demon-8 tration at Herringsgate , or any other . place , and that he had that morning received a letter fiom a solicitor , stating that if the sum of £ 6 , due to a band tbat attended tbe demonstration at Snig ' s End ,
To The Members Of The National, Land Com...
was not paid , that Mr Cullirigham would be sued forit . Mr Cullingham . — It was the trades at Snig ' s End that ordered it , and they undertook to pay for it , . The next item that was questioned in the balance sheei , was £ 36 for Directors' travelling expenses , and which Mr O'Connor explained- thus : —Unwilling to violate the rules laid down by the Committee of the House of Commons , he apprehended that it would be illegal to call a Conlerence to represent an illegal body , and therefore , the most effectual mode was taken of consulting the members personally upon tbe proposed alterations . Messrs M'Grath and Clark made a tour for several weeks
for that purpose through Scotland , the north of England , and part of the Midland Counties , wben he ( Mr O'Connor ) was given to understand that it would not be illegal to hold a Conference for the purpose of legalising the Company ; he then , together with the Directors iu London , decided upon recalling Messrs M'Grath and Clark , and although the Conference was held , be considered that that money was well and profitably spent , and he , for one , was astonished at the _smallness ofthe amount . He had left Birmingham for Aberdeen , on Thursday week—he returned on tbe following Sunday week ; and bis expenses for the eleven days amounted to £ 32 12 s , and it was the only expenditure of any of his tours that he had kept an account of .
Mr Kydd then asked , how it happened that the amount of clerks was so much larger than tfct under Mr Wheeler's management ? and Mr Bentley , the delegate for Huddersfield , said , that he had written several letters to . Mr Clark , since he had became corresponding secretary , and that he had not received answers as punctually as he had from Mr Wheeler . Mr O'Connor replied , that nothing could be more easy than to answer Mr Kydd ' s question and MrBentley _' _s question . Mr Clark should answer for himself . The necessity for more clerks , arose from two ' circumstances : " The first was , that one man could not do two men s . work .
¦ r" The second was , the enormous increase of business consequent upon the unavoidable absence of the Directors , attending to the deed of registration through the country . But the main cause was this . ' Immediately after the resignation of Mr Wheeler , the Lowbands Conference decided that the Company should close at the end of the year , and the consequence was , that the number of members joining nearly _doubledjwithin that period ! and the Management required more hands in the office . But as he was not willing to allow any charge to rest upon the shoulders of the Directors , to which , if wrong , be was liable , he begged to state that as soon as the business slackened , and funds came in
slowly , tbe directors did discharge four clerks ; and when he ( Mr O'Connor ) heard it , believing that their department also was a branch of the Labour Question—knowing that they had been instructed in the office business , and feeling convinced that their practised service would be required again , wben slander and misrepresentation were stifled , he ( Mr O'Connor ) told the Directors not to dismiss those clerks , as he would rather pay them their wages out of his own pocket , if the Conference objected to the course . ( Hear , hear . ) He had answered every question , there were no complaints ; and he would now ask , if such a balance sheet , without 2 s 3 d , ahd other small items , being put under the lumping head SUNDRIES , was ever presented to a Company ? It was unlike other companies . Last week he read
an account in the Times newspaper , of a Board of Railway Directors who were their own auditors . ( Laughter . ) What would they think if he , as treasurer , presented a balance sheet to that Conference , with 'Audited . and found correct , Feargus O'Connor , " at the bottom of it ? ( Laughter . ) Why , in fact , while every other company in England was now indisputably proved to be * cheating , juggling , deceiving ,- and robbing its members , the National Land Company was the only company in the Kingdom that could show a pennyworth of property for every penny expended . But here was the difference—the juggle was for the rich , and the Land was for the poor . ( Loud cheers . ) Mr Clark said : In answer to Mr Bentley ' s question , 1 have only to refer to the enormous increase of business in the office . That of course all letters
are not of equal importance . Every Utter of importance I have answered myself ; those of minor consideration I have referred to the clerks , wben it was impossible for me to answer all , and I have given them the gist of the answer . The Balance Sheet to the 29 th of September was then unanimously accepted , and the present Board of Directors were unanimously re-elected . The 12 th of May was the day named for the future location of members ; and , in justioe to the delegates and the Chairman , I must say that a more creditable , a more shrewd , a more dignified representation of Labour and the Land Company could not be selected .
The Chairman upon such occasions is a most important personage . With him rests the discipline and decorum . A bad Chairman will be sure to waste time , and make a bad Conference ; but Mr James Sweet economised time , exacted rigid discipline , and gave the most unqualified satisfaction , while every question submitted to the consideration of the delegates was argued with an amount of prudence , discretion , and tact which did honour to the
working classes . The only signification of dissent or approval of the numerous party of visitors was , when , according to my pledge to the Committee of the House of Commons , the question was put from the chair , whether the affairs ofthe Land Company should or should not be wound up , when every hand in the Conference , and every hand in the room , was held up against the Company being wound up , and which was followed by clapping of hands and enthusiastic cheering .
I have so far given you a critical repert of the proceedings which' were confined to question and answer , I have shown you the source from which every complaint has come . I have given you the answers to those complaints in the Conference , and uow 1 will sura up in a few words of observation . Suppose a Free Trader built cottages out of his own capital , and suppose he gave to those occupying four acres of land , a cottage , and that land at four per cent , upon the outlay ; and suppose they came to him without a fraction , and that he advanced them £ 50 or £ 10 byway of capital j suppose he gave them seed wheat , and an incredible amount of the very best manure ; suppose that he never put spade
or plough in the ground , or one particle of seed ; suppose he made no roads , but _allowed them to scramble over hedges ; suppose he gave them no fire-wood ; and suppose that he allowed them house rent free from May to November twelvemonth ( eighteen months ); and suppose that they hold the land rent-free for that time ; in fact , suppose that they had all from an individual landlord , and never paid a farthing , what would be the character of that landlord ? And what would be the fate ot the growler that charged him with injustice before the
publio , or the scribbler that charged him with injustice in the Press ? Ah ! my friends , the Press would not be open to such a tribe , while column after . column would be spent in laudation of the philanthropic Free Trader . But the best answer to every grumbler is this— " Can you not get more than £ 2 12 s . for your allotment ?"—for observe , that it is those who have got them that are the grumblers— " Can you not get more than £ 3 18 s . for your three acres , or £ 0 4 s . for your four acres ?"
Now that is the answer , wholly apart from Aid Money , Loan Money , and agricultural operations , And , my friends , I tell you now , that Ihave to contend not against the casual circumstances by which man is surrounded , but against NATURAL INSTINCT j which is not an evil , but the greatest advantage , under proper discipline , by which its dangers may be remedied . That natural instinct is SELF INTEREST , and in proof of which I assert , without fear of
contradiction , that if our Land Company consisted of one hundred thousand members , and that if one thousand of the most fortunate were located , that that one thousand , without the slightest reference to , or consideration for the remaining ninety-nine thousand by whose aid they were located , would stoutly contend for their claim to the whole ; and upon their selfinterest , their selfishness and misrepresentation , the validity , the practicability , and the value of the Plan would be judged .
It is not an easy matter to reply to the exciting representations as to the state of destitution of this man , or that man , or the other man . They tell upon the feelings , though they are based upon falsehood ; they enlist the sympathies ofthe kind-hearted ignorant , and they furniBh the enemy with the means of attack . But if one man succeeds , his success is the conviction of the idle 5 and what I now asser t , and I defy contradiction , is this , that a _four-acre allotment on any single one o t the Company ' s estates is richly worth a bonus of £ 400 5 and I contend for it , that in the retail market any one of them
To The Members Of The National, Land Com...
would fetch , that amount over and above the origina cost , provided itwas a landlord question , a manu facturer ' s question , but not a Labour question , —tbat is , that a landlord would get tenants for as many cottages as he could-build , and four acres of land , at the yearly rent of £ 28 , that is the interest upon * 700 , while the allotment would only cost _£ 300 . And I further assert , tbat during his life he would not have one defaulter upon a single allotment . I have made my reply to the several charges brought against the Plan and against the buildin .
gs I invited the delegates to come to Bromsgrove and judge for themselves . A great number did visit that estate . I saw fonr of them myself , after they had minutely inspected every house . I saw the delegates for the Norwich district , for the Bolton district , for the Rochdale district , and for the Blackburn district , and they will tell you , as they told me , that they were never so much astonished or delighted in their lives : that they could not have believed it from the several false representations that had been made .
And now , I tell you what I say with regard to those representations and those cottages . There never were built in England by a builder for himself , or for an employer who intended to lease them , cottages equal to those of the Land Company , both as to material , work , and finish . And now , when we speak of bonus for an allotment , let it always be borne in mind , that no individual on his own account , will build the same house on the retail plan for within £ iQ of what I build it on the wholesale plan .
Now , III just give you a single item . The bricks that I have used at Bromsgrove I pay 25 s for , not counting carriage , because I burn them wholesalethe same bricks in the neighbourhood would have cost me 32 s , and the carriage would have cost me 5 s more tban they do on the spot— that is a saving of 12 s a thousand , or £ 7 4 s upon a house in that one material alone ; and if I bought timber , slates , ironmongery , lime , and sand , retail , and paid retail labour , the house would cost me above £ 40 more than it does upon the wholesale principle . And new , when it serves the purpose of Free Trade speculators in votes to eulogise the wholesale plan , let me give you the following specimen from last week ' s Nottingham Review , which is placed immediately under a paragraph headed
THE O'CONNOR LAND SCHEME . Now here is the paragraph from the 'Review , with its very fascinating _figurehead ;—Preehoidb and _Yotes fob Wobkino Mek . —The Birmingham Freehold Land Society Ib paving the way for an extensive and vigorous attack upon the monopolists of the counties . It has been in existence thirteen months , numbers 'I 87 member " , holding 1 , 439 shares . 125 allotments have been made to the _membsrs at a cost ef a sam averaging £ 29 each allotment , containing seven yards front and fifty yards deep of eligible buildingland . Each of the allottees is qualified as a county voter ; the annual value of their plots of land being placed bejend doubt , eome having already let off on a building lease of
ninety . nino years , for 60 s . per annum . The leading features of this society are to buy building land at tho wholesale price , and retail it to the members at the same price . The difference existing between wholesale and retail prices of land is almost incredible , and requires some facta to convince parties unacquainted with them to believe it . Land which was asked and worth 3 s . 4 d . per yard retail , has been purchased wholesale at ls . Id . per yard , Had the allottees individually made their own purchases , each allotment , instead of averaging £ 19 , would have been . about £ 67 . The whole of the fifty-two counties may be , before the next septennial election , by the means of Freehold Land Societies , placed in tbe bands of civil , religious , and commercial freedom _.
Now what does the reader think of that ? £ 19 capital bringing in £ 2 10 s . a year rent ; which upon £ 100 would be £ 12 15 s a year interest , while not a four-acre allotment of ours will reach that rent . Now by the same Btandard of reckoning the rent of our allotment , that cost £ 300 , should let for £ 38 5 s . a year . Oh ; but then the one is for the pig , commissariat , and the larder , and the other is for CIVIL RELIGIOUS , AND COMMERCIAL FREEDOM . Can any of these civil , religious , and commercial freemen , again abuse our plan ? Ye 3 : because in the one case the voter would be a slave , having only a house , and depending upon the capitalist for employment ; while in the other case , the voter would be a freeman , because his own employer .
My friends , society is now out of joint .- For years I have been writing to you , and _tiling you tbat we were near the struggle of the league of people against the league of King ' s . It is not a prophecy after the continental revolutions —it was printed years ago , and has been often repeated ; and what knobstick statesmen are now trying to do , is to frame a piece of cabinet work out of rude and rough materials , while I tell them that every fragment out of which new society is to be * constituted must be TRIED UP before it is put together , or , at all events , before it will harmonise . I tell you that , whether from revolution or from peaceful change the new system may come , that no
power on earth can save Labour or secure Labour s triumph , UNTIL IT IS INDIVIDUALISED . I tell you that from a community of happy individuals alone can a sound state of representative government spring ; and I tell you that no other channel to secure individuality is open but the Land ; and I tell you , that as long as you have not the Land the wages otthemost fortunate will be measured by the destitution of the most miserable , andthat the comparatively fortunate are the greatest tyrants to the positively destitute . They measure their position by the destitution of others . The man receiving 25 s . a week scoffs at him who receives but 10 s . ; the man who receives 10 s ., looks with contempt upon the unwilling pauper—whereas , if they would measure their prospect by the positive , and not by the comparative scale , the union of all would realise £ 3 a
week for each . And the clearing of the _smplus population , and their location upon the Land of their birth , would give a spring to every trade in the conntry while the small farmers would produce better , fresher , cheaper , and a greater abundance of food , than you can get from abroad . But , then , that is not the system by which tyrants achieve patronage , emolument , and wealth They cultivate the national resources by the standard of monopoly , though they adopt Free Trade as their principle . They would rather have the lion ' s share of artificial traffic , with bastiles full of paupers , and an armament sufficiently large to quell the complaints of the starving and the hungry , than have their fair share of the country ' s produce , without a discontented being in the land .
Again , do not say that I am prophecying , but look to the conclusion of my work upon •¦ Small Farms , " written in 1843 , and there you will find that I predicted that our Foreign Colonies must be _abandonedvo ' _anldfitbat they . must be made willing instead of compulsory customers , I foretold what the expenditure would be , and your inability to bear it . And now , mark the following announcement from the ¦ ' Globe'' newspaper—a Government organ : —
MiMTABT Fobce ik Ireland . —The augmentation of the constabulary from 22 , 080 to 30 , 000 rank and file will enable tho Government to withdraw ten regiments from Ireland for colonial and other service , and to concentrate at head-quarters those many detachments now frequently employed upon duty which is the legitimate province of a police force . It is also intended to attach to tho headquarters of the constabulary in each province a Hying park of artilery for field service . * Now , here , while landlords are unable to meet thek engagements—while farmers are flying to America—while labourers are starving , and Poorrates cannot be collected—we are to bave an addition of 8 , 000 men to the Irish constabulary , and they are to have a FLYING PARK OF ARTILLERY FOR FIELD SERVICE , in order to spare the I'ish garrison for colonial service . Now read the following : —
_Insoivsnoi amongst _Fabmebs . — The Ddbli ?? Gazette of Tuesday evening contains a list of one hundred and thirty two Insolvents for the counties of Donegal , Tyrone , _Ennisbillen , Queen ' s County , Kilkenny , Limerick , Tippe . rary , Waterford , and Wlcklow , of which no loss than seventy-three are Bet down as farmers . Now , in these days of economy , it is my practioe to brim * you to figures ; This 8 , 000 additional force at 25 s . a week per man which , inoluding officers , barracks , outfit , flying artillery , and the thousand and one other expenses , is below tho mark ; but take them at 25 s . a man , and this , withoutreducing the army by a single man , entails au additional expense upon the starving people of ten thousand pounds a week , or half a million and twenty thousand a year . And now mark the result , that annual amount would pay an interest of four per cent , of twelve millions seven hundred and fifty thousand pounds , and if
they gave me that sum to expend in Ireland upon looatingthe poor , there would not be a soldier , * policeman , or a poor rate required . But then the party in power would not have so mnoh PATRONAGE , and the younger children of lords and ' _equirea would have to workfor their bread , My friends , this ia the whole system , and it ib diffi . cult for ono single solitary individual to _BtandTiip against it , with all the powers and appliances at its eommand for the destruction of its opponents . _forking men , ask yourselves thia ono question ; — " Has Feargus O'Connor , during the eleven years ' existence of the' Northern Star , ' and during nearly two years ' existence ofthe 'Labourer , ' and in his several other works and speeches , ever written a line or spoken a sentence worthy of comment , while the insane productions and twaddle of the enemies of your order are ehronioled and stereotyped as apo-
To The Members Of The National, Land Com...
thegms V Ask yourselves whethor . in tha _reeolleo . tion of man , any individual of my order haa Stood by you and your order amid _psrsecution , slander , ' and abuse as I have , and the answer must be-NEVER . Well , then , I was silent for fourteen months , upon the abuse heaped upon me by some of the Land vermin , rather than bo the medium of creating dissension in our ranks . I havo had my politioal triumph through Scotland , acd my social triumph ia Birmingham ; and bb harmony and union must be the indispensable elements of progression and im * provement , I now bury tbe past in oblivion , I tender absolution and forgiveness to every one of my re * vilers _, the only satisfaction I shall seek , will ber-tna confession of their errors . When tbe dsy of Labour ' s triumph , and the national jubilee shall come ,
—when I see the conntry decked with happy comes and profitable labour fields—when I see the sick father or sick mother reposing iu their own _homec , and tended by their own children—when I see drunkenness banished from the land—wben I see Chris * tianity based upon charity , and goodwill amongst men—when I see every bastile and barrack turned into _schools'at ! d colleges , and when I Bee a Btunted race of half begotten cripples changed into & healthy population , with the blush of life , the step of health , and the resolution of freemen—then , in spite of oppression , _denusoiation _, and slander , I will look npon the glad _soene and exclaim : — " This , this is my work ;" for , in spite of all opposition , lam _resolve-rtbatour Land Plan shall live a glorious life , or only perish after a determined straggle .
IT IS LABOUR ' S ONLY HOPE ! Your faithful friend , and unpaid bailiff , Feaugvs O'Connor . P . S . —I will now Bhow you , in a postscript , the exaot financial position of the Land Company : —• £ . Land at Bromsgrove , paid for ... 10 , 600 Forty-one _houses , erected at Bromsgrove , and expended on draining agriculture , roads , and grubbing ... 6 , 000 Fortable buildiBgs _, horses , stook , implements , and Qachinery , now that tbe Company is to go on 3 , 000 Paid deposit on Mathon Estate ... ... 1 , 5061 Land to be sold at Minster Lovel ... 1 , 750 Ditto at Lowbands .. ... ... 600 Ditto at Snig ' s End , 900 Timber paid for , and joiners' work , at the rate of £ 7 15 s . per house , paid on fifty-two houses , at £ 25 a house ... 1 , 300 Timber , slates , an i joiners' work paid on Bix ; _hoDse 3 . at Minster , at £ 40 a house- 2 i 0 Due on promissory notes and rents to 1 st November 1848 ... 1 , 000 In cash 1 , 000 Dae by Mr Hairs , solicitor , of Kidder _, minster 500 128290 pbr . contra : Due to tradesmen , and on all other accounts 1 , 6 * 00 Sold at Bromsgrove , boase and ten acres 1 . 000 Ditto , at ditto , eight acres ... ... fiQO £ 3000 - ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦ ¦ - ¦¦ ' ¦ ¦¦ Property available for Company ' s use ... 28 , 290 From which deduct debts and portions sold 3 , 000 £ 25 . 290 And it leaves the sum of £ 25 , 290 of available property , or nearly one-third of the amount of paid-up capital . Bromsgrove will locate fifty four-acre occupants , tea three-acre occupants , and ten two-acre _oconpants , aBd will be ready for location on the 12 th of May next , if the members perform their duty . Now that iB the literal position of the bankrupt Land Company , every fraotion of whioh is cash , with the exception of the £ 500 due by Mr Hairs , ahd I am proceeding for that , and will recover it . —F . _O'C . tm lii'ii » n * urn , * nng _*^ _MWn ' _» _MH 1 * 11 1 1 1 11 1 11 m - ¦¦ it * '
November 11, 1848. The Northern Star ; 5...
November 11 , 1848 . THE NORTHERN STAR ; 5 " __^_ _a-am \~ _sWa--- \ % - _^ at _\_________ Wmat _! m tta _\ %%%% ~ _sa ~ S ~ m __*^ J - - - . * ¦ ¦ _!¦*—" - i . - ' - .
Mr R1cardo, M.P. For Worcester, And The ...
MR R 1 CARDO , M . P . FOR WORCESTER , AND THE LAND COMPANY . You will see that I have had a pretty good week ' s work of it . Next week I shall send an advertisement to the Worcester papers , calling on Mr Rieardo , tho member for that town , to meet me in publio meeting , at his own convenience , bof ire which I will chargehim with the most mean , dishonourable , dishonest , anil nngentlemanly conduot , thus giving him an ' opportunity of defending himself personally ; and , should be refuse to appear , I will let him know that a
gentleman , unsupported by faction , holds a higher position in society than a trafficker who may have raised himself in the estimation of society by speculation ; and I tell that gentleman , that if he supposes that he is to meddle in my affairs with impunity , he is grossly deceived . And , should ho refuse to meet me , I will charge him in hiB _absenos , and never rest till I drive him from his present position into hiB former obscurity . You will see that I am determined that neither seleot committees , nor individual trioksters , shall take liberties with me or mine . ** F . _O'OONHOB .
Chartist Forthcoming Meetings, Sunday, N...
CHARTIST FORTHCOMING MEETINGS , Sunday , Nov . 12 ih , — A West Riding delegate meeting will be held at Nicholl ' a _Tersperanoe Hotel , 16 , Broad Street , Halifax , at ten o ' clock , a . m . —A general meeting at the Globe and Friends , Morgan Street , Commercial Road , at half-past seven o ' clock , and a discussion on the Trades Delegates' Address at half-past eight . —A meeting of the O'Connor Brigade , at Mr George Haugh ' s , 15 . Paradise Street , Preston , at six o ' clock . —A publio meeting at the Crown and Anohor , Cheshire Street , Waterloo Town , of members of the Green Gate , Hackney Road . — Whittington and Cat , Bethnal Green . —Digby Arms , and Globe and Friends Localities , for the purpose of establishing a Chartist Hall for the Tower Hamlets ,
at eight o ' clock . —An adjourned meeting of shareholders will be held at the South London Chartist Hall , at three o ' clock , and Mr Southwell will leoture in the above hall at seven o ' clock —A meeting . o £ Chartist and Land Members at the Branch Office _, back of the Three Horse shoes , Merthyr Tydvil , at six o ' clock . —Mr Joseph Bowker will deliver two lectures in the Chartist room , High Street , Has . lingden . —Mr Dickenson will lecture in Mr Jude ' s long room , Newoastleon-Tyne , at seven o ' clock . — The council and members will meet at the Seven Stars , Barker Gate , Nottingham , at two o ' clock . — Mr James Leach will leoturo in the People ' s Institute , Manchester , at six o ' olock ; and a members ' meeting will beheld at two o ' clock . —A speoial members' meeting at the Temperance Hotel , Blanket Row , Hull , at seven o ' olook .
_Movdat , November 13 th . —A Ball and Concert for the Difence Fund , in the room , _Stanley Street , Macclesfield , at half past seven o ' clock . _Tckbdat , Nov . 14 th . —A ball in the lame Bcboo room , Circus Street , Marylebone . —A public meeting in the upper room , New Hall , Nowland , Nortbamp . ton , at eight o ' olock . Wednesday . Nov . 15 th . —A meeting at the Waiters Arms , Church Street , Deptford . Sunday , Nov . 19 ib . —A distriot delegate meeting will be held at B . Browlfcy " , New Street , Batley , near Dswsbuty , at two o'clock , when Mr Bentley will report the proceedings sf the Conference .
Forthcoming Land Meetings. To Hear The R...
FORTHCOMING LAND MEETINGS . To hear the Reports of Delegates from the Conference . Saturday , Nov . llth . —A meeting will be held at ; John Huater ' s publio house , Easington Lane , at i seven o ' olock . —At _Ibeson ' s Temperance Hohbb , , Buxton Road , Huddersfield , at seven o'olock pre- oisely . Sunday , Nov . 12 th . —A meeting will he held at S the Seven Stars , Barker Gate , Nottingham , at six . * . o ' olook _.-At Charles Brook ' s , Little Town , at tea 1 0 elook , a . m . —A monthly meeting , in the People ' s J Institute , Manchester , at nine o ' clock . —At the As * * sembly Rooms , _Djan Street , Soho , Westminster , ' , at half-past seven o ' olock . .: Monday , Nov . 13 th . —In tho long room , Cook Inn ,. 1 , Head ofthe Side , Newcastle-on-Tyne , at eight o ' olook . ; . —At the Butchers' Arms Inn , Banbury , at eight it 6 dock .
Tuesday , Nov . Htb .-Whittington and Cat mem-1 « _bers , at eight o ' clock . _Wednesday , Nov , 15 . —in the upper room , New ir Hall , Newland , Northampton , at eight o ' clock . —In a Mr MosBley ' s large roem , Sheffield at seven o ' clock , c . Monday , Nov . 20 th—A meeting will be held at \ t the Wheatsheaf Inn , Loughborough . Sunday , Nov . 19 . —In Mr Nurton ' _s Oommeroia 111 Coffee-house , Baok Lane , Blaokburn , at two o ' clock , c _, LAND MEETINGS . Sunday , Nov 12 .-At Hudson ' s Academy , 15 , 5 , Cross Street , Hatton Garden , at Beven o ' clock , —In ia Butterworth ' _s Buildings , Bradford , at one o _' oleck . k . Monday , Nov 13 . In Mr Frankland ' _s room , n , Preston , in the evening .-At No . 5 , Galloway ' s '» Buildings , Bath , at eight o ' olock . -At the _Falwn m inn , Mill Street , Kidderminster , at seven o ' olock . At the Marquis of _Granby , Daventry , at eif at bt o ' clook .-In the Prince of Wales Lodge room , Old Id Malt Shoyel , North Church . Side , Hall .-At _E . E . Soholey ' s , Mitigate , _Peterborough , at eight o ' olook . k .
A Fat Pauper.—A Woman, Who Has Been An I...
A Fat Pauper . —A woman , who has been an in- nhabitant of the workhouse at Yarmouth for tbree- eeyears died on Tuesday last . Her size was enor- ) _rmous , and her disease supposed to be dropsy . A A post mortem examination which proved that a the heart and other hiate cause of death , extent as to produce
Was Made , The Result Of Of Supeiabunda-...
was made , the result of of _supeiabunda-i-fflrftfjfat around nd parts _^^^ e _^ _- _^ ffi _^ imme- leas ii _^ ui _^ _tt _^ - _^ & _&> luj _^ _itaj _^ . / K . . .. v : / M c c uon was made , the result of of _Jupemb uiulan _^ J ; at around nd acts _# _^ _fi- % _Mtkin * me- le-« limmm _^ ich & _&> ¦ f K : _^ _p > _fc % £ v _*> . _^«* flB
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Nov. 11, 1848, page 5, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns3_11111848/page/5/
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