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0"NWA"UD AND WE COHQBErl BACKWARD AND WE FALL.
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iroSURRENDERI ^ " ; 7: KEGISTER ! REGIST...
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VOL. X. NOT^T iMDO^StlRDAY, " SEPTEMBER ...
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ACCESSION OF DEVONSHIRE TO THE CHARTIST ...
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and continued-cheering.) "• NoWr-thal' 8...
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TBE TEA PARTY. " , Thissplendid'entertai...
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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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0"Nwa"Ud And We Cohqberl Backward And We Fall.
0 _"NWA"UD AND WE _COHQBErl _BACKWARD AND WE FALL .
Irosurrenderi ^ " ; 7: Kegister ! Regist...
_iroSURRENDERI _^ " 7 : KEGISTER ! REGISTER !! REGISTER !!! ' TO THE IMPERIAL CHARTISTSMv _BjelotsdFjsiesds . —Mybeartis so foil of joy at cut iramediateprospectof social and political improvement , that I am once more abont to rouse the whole country from the LandVeridto Johno _' Groat . for
THE LAND ANDTHE _^ HARTER . I cannot , I will not , remain idle ' and- _> a-Beles 3 , while every fragment of faction is uniting to continue' yoir oppression , and nerpetnafc _^ _Ourinferiority . My present joy -arises from the state of _prepareduea in which I found even the out-of-the-way county of Devon , tlie Land of parsons , sonreider , and low wages . This waa my first political experiment in the _agricultural districts , and I _haveadded Devonshire to the
noble army of Chartists ; and I will now go on con--veriing every fibre of the slave class ofall _denomina"ttons to onr glorious principles . Now , nay dear friends ' vfill you pay close attention to my solemn advice and recommendation . We have bow a powerful party in "the country . "We have raised up a substantial thing to struggle for—THE T . AND . Bnt then , believe me wlien I tall you , that close attention to our politf-<» 1 principles , h the surest and speediest way of poshing and accomplishing our social object .
I say -we have a great and powerful party in this -ootmtry _, if we only nse its power wisely , and for a legitimate auduseful purpose . Will yon then permitme to suggest the proper guidance of that mind which I bave mainly created and organized ? It is the last stage ofa political moTement .
THE DIRECTION _C-Fi-tTBLTC OPINION . And now I proceed to counsel yoa under tbis head-Will youthen abandon every speeies ef agitation Of «* ery sort and Mnd _, save and except that winch will te required f « r securing the return ol TWELVE -CHARTIST MEMBERS to the next parliament -and the procuring of signatures to the National Petition ? Now , I ask you to place every other _ds--seriptionof agitation in abeyance , in order that we may devote our untiring , undivided energv , to those "two important questions The return , not ofa choice of evils , bnt OF TWELYE OF OUR OWN MEN , and the _National Petition . Let the coantry secure the power of _electing , and I will undertake the task of securing the PARLIAMENTARY
QUALIFICATION . Remember that the restoration of Frost , Williams , aud Jones ; the Ten Hours' Bill ; the Repeal oi the Poor Law ; and all other interesting questions , are ihe-work to be done . PARLIAMENT IS THE TOOL TO DO IT WITH ; and in the present balanced state of faction , get only twelve members , over whom ' you have entire control , and _vrho shall _bs pledged in writin < r to resign the trust whenever called npon by a meeting of non-electors , _iXurrened for the purpose , and of which the member shall have due notice ; and you can recal Frest ,
secure a Ten Hours" Bill , Repeal the Poor Law Amendment Act , or arrest the whole "business of the country , and snap up Government after Government . Tou can command the circulation of your opinions and principles through the press . Ton can have your every grievance exposed without the dread of ridicule or flat denial . Tou can have tbe LAND PLAN fully and fairly expounded . Tou can make 1 fce subject ofthe Land femiliar to every cor and _ererr nation . Ton can refute the calumnies which
Mr . O'Connell has so industriously spread of you in Ireland . Toucan prove yourselves the real friends of Ireland and the Irish . Ton can inundate the House with petitions , when you are convinced that they will "be honoured not only with mock presentation , but with serious discussion . In short , you will -then have an interest in all Parliamentary proceedings , and the world will Icaro that there is a powerful pnblic opinion in England as well as in Ireland ; and that the English mind cannot be turned to suit the will of a political , place-hunting weathercock .
In Septemher _, 1838 , 1 wrote you several letters upon thia subject , and laid down the machinery for carrying out the plan ; bnt you were careless and heedless . We have had onr day of NECESSART MAD EXCITEMENT ; let us now have our season of calm reflection , and , if yon will , of FIERY ACTION—that is , of enthusiastic work . Let the whole nation , from North to South , from East to * We 3 t , now join in the work of manufacturing tools to make freemen and unrivet chains .
In 1832 , by my own sole and unaided exertion , I succeeded in returning seven ont of eight members for the County Cork . It is true that you in England have not the same class of electors to deal with , but I do not set you as hard a task ; I ask yon only to return one FIFTT-FIFTH part of the House of _Commons . In Ireland we returned one-half of the Irish members , and a d d bad lot they were , but the people were not to blame for that .
If you had twelve Chartist members , all pledged "to follow their leader "Duncombe , you would see no more government prosecutions , and instead of tho people , and especially the women , being frightened from the advocacy of our princip _" _-es _, you would see them becoming fashionable . and'thimble riggers would cease frjing to make ns afraid " of the name . Ton would give security to the free expression of public
opinion , dignity to the name of demagogue , and protection to democracy ; you wonld rip up the past , and t _*» ke -vengeance , though tardy , npon your persecutors and betrayers . Tou would lore the lagging trades into your fashionable , because represented , movement ; and thus become actually , instead of -virtually , THE SOURCE OF ALL POWER , aad through it the first partakers of the fruits of your own industry .
It is nonsense to talk of a committee sitting m London to carry ont this project , if every city , town , and borough in the kingdom does not aid and assist . I am resolved , however , that you shall not have to _charge me with apathy , or urge my neglect as the cause of your failure * Since I last wrote to you , I have been in Gloucestershire , seven miles beyond Stradtord-on-Avon _, but the land was too stiff and dear ; 1 would not have it at any price ; you could not dig an acre in a month . I have been in _De-^ ronshire _—felorious Devonshire!—and to night { Thursday ) I go into Essex , Monday to Weedon and Kidderminster , where I WILL HOLD A _MEETING ON MONDAY NIGHT NEXT , the 14 th ; thus matin" the Land serve the Charter , and the Charter
aerve the Land . Now then , if I am to work you must work ; and once for all , if YOU DO NOT WORK , I WILL NOT WORK . Tou see that all the bad men in Ireland have joined O'Connell in the gale of their country , and if yon don't take care you will have an exchange of placemen , as in 'OS you had of militias ; and ofall evils pray God defend us from an Irish official , and Good Lord deliver the people from a coalition of ** Whigs , Free Traders , and Irish Place-hunters ; and God will deliver them if they wish , for God helps those who help themselves . Now , in the midst of your culpable apath y , and while I am devoting my every hour to your improvement _, you may , perhaps , ask me , why I have thus resolved to increase my labours for the negligent
once more . Then hear my answer , and I am not ashamed to confess the value of new zeal , and the advantage of young blood being infused into our lethargic sluggish body . Here then is my answer : — For a giant had risen , all grisly and grim , _"Withhishujj-e limbs , loud , clattering and vast And he breathed his steam-breath—through Ion- ; channels of death , Till ihe soul itself died on the blast .
And fibre and flesh he bound down on a rack , Flame-girt on a factory-floor ; And the g hastly steel eorse—plied ite horrible force Still tearing tho hearts of the poor . Like a winepress for mammon to form a golddraught , It squeezed their best blood through its fangs ;
Irosurrenderi ^ " ; 7: Kegister ! Regist...
And he quaffed at one breath—the quick vintage of death , While it foamed with humanity's pangs . Oh ! then I looked back for my cold , quiet home , As the hell-bound looks back for the grave ; Bnt I heard my soul cry whobut cowards can fly , "While a tyrant yet tramples a slave ! Then I bound on my armour to face the rough world _. And I ' m going to march with the rest , Against tyrants to fight—for the sake of the right , And , if baffled , tofail with the best . Now behold roy answer , and the moying cause-Jones s splendid Poem ,
THE BETTER HOPE . The whole poem , bnt especially the TCrses I quote , and more especially the two last inspiring verses . Oh J then I looked back for my cold , quiet home , As the hell-bound looks back for the grave ; But I heard my soul cry—who bat cowards can fly , ¦ While a tyrant yet tramples a slave ! Then I bonnd on my armour to face the rough world , And I ' m going to march with the rest , Against tyrants _tofight—for the fake of the right , And , if baffled _^ o fail with the best .
Tour faithful friend and bailiff , _FEoBuna O'Connor O'Connorville . Thursday .
Ar00107
Vol. X. Not^T Imdo^Stlrday, " September ...
VOL . X . _NOT _^ _T _iMDO _^ _StlRDAY , " SEPTEMBER 1 _^^ 1846 ; ~ 7 ~~~ j _^^ _^ . ¦ . ¦ . .- _; _..,-. _¦ : ¦ : ' ' _¦" ¦¦ - ¦¦ - -- ¦ " _~ y f _« _ve Shillings _aitd Sixpence pel * Quarter
Accession Of Devonshire To The Chartist ...
ACCESSION OF DEVONSHIRE TO THE CHARTIST CAUSE . GRAND DEMONSTRATION AND TEA PARTY AT NEWTON ABBOTT . The 7 th of September , 1846 , will be a day ever memorable in the cause of Chartism , for never since Devonshire was first inhabited , down to that hour , was there such an unequivocal representation of the County ' s feeling , opinion and will , as upon that day . The struggling patriots ot Newton , with Mr . Elms , and Mr . Crews , as their legitimate and universallyelected leaders , worked efficiently , and for the short time allowed for preparation , incessantly , to secure a triumph for the Chartist principles ; or , at least , a discussion which would teach the agricultural labourers that there was more good in store , from the
adoption of a different policy and different principles . Devonshire is a purely parson-ridden , landlord-ridden county ; where the serfs of the soil luxuriate in a genial climate , sour cyder , and from seven to nine shillings per week . The very names of their streets , their towns , their villages , their hamlets , and cross-roads , are distinguished by Scriptural names-, hut , alas ' . philanthropy , civilization , and piety , " apppar to be no longer the type or symbol of Christianity . Upon the one side we see lordly mansions , princely villas , proud cathedrals , ornamented churches , and gorgeous parsonages ; and upon the other band , we arc struck with the squalid misery of those by whose industry all have heen created , and are sustained .
The undertaking of Mr . O Connor , to preach unsullied Chartism , and the people ' s rig ht to the soil , to a congregation thus cajoled and oppressed , was considered a perilous undertaking ; and , especially in the market-place of a town under the management of a pie-ball corporation * however differing about their individual interests , always united in their opposition to democracy . However , he ventured against the odds , and the success of his mission will be gathered from the following narrative , and the report of the proceedings .
Mr . O'Connor was met at the Exeter station , at ten o ' clock on Sunday ni ght , hy that excellent , intellectual , consistent , and unflinching patriot , Mr . Wilkinson , formerly Mayor of Exeter , and a numerous party of friends . Upon arriving atthe hospitable and beautiful mansion of the ex « Major , his dining room was found too small for the accommodation of the several deputations , and his spacious drawing rooms were cheerfully thrown open for the reception of labour ' s sons , where from forty to fifty honest and respectable men and women , met in solemn , but not in secret
council , as to the best mode of forwarding the interest of their order . The several sections spoke hopefully of the future , and secured a pledge from Mr-O'Connor of a long visit to Devonshire , when the several localities had manifested their love of Chartism , hy recruiting their associations , and signing the national petition . At eight o ' clock on Monday morning , Mr . O'Connor and Mr , "Wilkinson started by train for Teignmouth , where they were met hy a zealous and ardent Chartist and _Tee-totaller , Mr . Garratt , an extensive Railway Contractor , to whose
hospitable mansion they repaired for the purpose of awaiting the arrangements . Teignmouth is a fashionable bathing-place , the chosen resort of the aristocracy , and ahout twelve o ' clock the lounging group of fashionables loitering upon the Den , and admiring the vast expanse of calm and quiet ocean , were roused and startled by the approach of distant music , and were presently surprised hy the appearance of a xery beautiful open van , occupied by the tee-total brass band , dressed in military uniforms , playing merry Chartist airs , and followed by a very
handsome open carriage drawn by four " blood tits , with neatly dressed postboys . Having paraded the Den , which is the fashionable promenade upon the coast , the van and carriage halted , and Mr . Wilkinson , Mr . O'Connor , Mr . Elms , and two friends on the box , started for Newton , a distance of six miles and a half , amid the gaze of tbe astonished bathers , and the delight of the populace ; passing through the principal streets of the town , which were crowded with spectators , while every window and door presented a fair share of the curious , and the hand playing the while . As the party passed
through the several villages in their way to Newton Abbott , the peaceful villagers , who had been made acquainted with the objects of the demonstration , cheered them on their way , and when the cavalcade had arrived within less than a mile of the town it was joined by a large procession of the men of Torquay , the most fashionable bathing-place in Devonshire , with a population of about ten thousand . These honest fellows , with another band that came from Newton Abbott , formed a beautiful procession of well-dressed respectable Chartists . And here Mr . 'Grath , wbo had come from London to aid
in the conversion of Devonshire to the Chartist principles , joined , and entered the carriage . The procession was met at a distance from tbe entrance of the town by a vast concourse of persons , who cheered and cheered again , until the carriage arrived atthe Globe Inn , where Mr . O'Connor and his friends remained until the necessary preparations ere arranged for the public meeting . And at halfpast two precisely , Mr . O'Connor , Mr . Wilkinson , Mr . M'Grath , Mr . Tanner , of Totnes , Mr . Elms , Mr . Crews , and the Committee of Management , mounted tbe platform , and were received with the most rapturous cheers , and waving of hats of the men of Devonshire , in the open market-place of Newton Abbott . As soon as the cheering had subsided ,
Mr . Iasxer _, ofTotne . cs , read the hand bill convening the meeting , and said , friends and aien of Devonc ! _S * u-.. lemains for me to do bevond the reading of the bill convening this meeting , except to propose 11 _^ _Tl _^ r pteS , _t e over our Proceedings , not are we at a loss for such a person i Ior I am am you
Accession Of Devonshire To The Chartist ...
will be glad to learn that in the _pefaon of Mr . Wilkinson , of Exeter —( loud and continued cheerihe )—the working classes of Devonshire are secure in the faithful representation of that gentlemen , therefore , I now propose him as a fit and proper person to preside over this meeting . Mr . Elms , of Newton Abbott , seconded the appointment , which was carried by acclamation and without a dissentient . Mr . Wilkikson , in rising to open the meeting , was reeeived with tremendous applause . He said , men of Devonshire , you have conferred upon me a high and distinguished honour to-day , and notwithstanding the invitation ofthe editor of Woolmer ' s Exeter
Gazette , to the magistrates of this place , to be in a state of preparedness to meet and put down any insubordination that may occur amongst you —( groans for the Gazette)—he , Mr . Wilkinson , who construed that invitation as a threat fer the purpose of intimidating ; tbe people , would nevertheless be answerable for the good conduct of his countrymen , and would save the magisterial office from trouble aud interference . He felt no ordinary pride and satisfaction in introducing Mr . O ' Connor to a Devonshire audience . Devonshire , where so little was done , and where so much might be done , if the industrious aa well as the luxurious were allowed to participate in the blessings of Divine Providence , so munificently bestowed unon that favoured
county . ( Lond cheers . ) He also ' felt -pride- ih _mtroducing MiC O'Connor , because he conscientiously believed him to be the most _philanthropic , and benevolent man he had ever met with in the whole course of his life . ( Cheers . ) His continued exertions were to benefit the people , to raise man to that state of society which it was intended hy his Maker and Creator he should enjoy . ( Cheers . ) Mighty were his efforts in regard to the land , and for the exercise of which there was ample room in this beautiful and productive county , which may be made more fertile and still more productive by the application of its native industry to tbe native soil , and no man was more able er more capable of carrying out
that mighty principle than was Mr . 0 Connor . ( Loud cheers . ) The chairman again expressed his conviction that the orderl y conduct of the meeting would be the best answer to the anticipations of Mr , Woolmer , and concluded amidst loud cheers by introducing Mr . _M'Gbath , who on rising was loudly cheered , he said , if the talented gentleman occupying the chair , who was a native of Devon , and who was personally known to most of them , had reason to be proud of his position , how much more reason had he , an entire stranger , te feel elated by the greeting with which they had been pleased to honour him . Many a time had they assembled on that spot to promote by their resolves and exertions , interests , and . causes , which
they had deemed of importance , but never since tbis town was called Newton Abbot , did a nobler object engage its inhabitants than the one which to-day convenes us under Heaven ' s blue canopy . ( Cheers . ) We are here in obedience to the impulse of that purest of human feelings—patriotism . We are here in submission to the great fiat of nature , which witb voice imperious calls upon humanity for ceaseless progression towards the goal of perfection . Our aim is man s elevation , social and political , through the restoration ofthe land nt which he has been deprived by ruthless power , combined with inordinate avarice . ( Hear . ) What is thc character ofthe mind that is not interested by such a . mighty theme , what is tbe nature ot the heart that throbs not in the admiration ofs _« . subl * me an object ? As the Poet has it ,
" Breathes tbere the roan with soul so dead , Who never within himself has said , This is my own , my native Land . " Gentlemen , your native land has produced sons wliich ralumniate and helve her ; we have had them _amom-st us latterly , diligently labouring in their vocation , to stamp the public mind with the impression that our native land cannot yield to the hand of husbandry that amount of produce required for the maintenance of our present population , in other words that Almighty Providence has committed the egregous blunder of placing more mouths around Nature ' s table than there is food to fill them ! This is an error , men of Newton , which must be exploded ;
you must be made to understand the capabilities of your native land , and these are that it will produce a sufficiency to support a population tb _» . quadruple in number of the existing one . ( Cheers . ) Gentlemen , we are not here to amuse your fancy with startling propositions , or to excite your contempt with those of an untenable nature , we wish to flash the conviction of truth upon your minds , by fair argument , by producing that sort of evidence in favour of our cause , which the intelligence of these days requires before the popular judgment yields its assent to it . Mr . M'Grath then entered into an elaborate argument demonstrative ofthe truth ofhis position , and then drew the inference that as we had
land labour and capital in abundance , poverty or its fear should never assail or disturb the industrious classes of Britain . He then called the attention ot the meeting to the Chartist Land Co-operative Society . It was a noble confederation of intelligence , energy and perseverance ; it may without hyperbole be pronounced the vanguard of civilization and progress in Britain . Its past history has been a series of triumphs . Its present condition is prosperity itself , and its future prospects are bright and cheering to those who rely upon it for their release from the thraldom in which grasping capital has ever held prostrate labour . ( Cheers . ) The speaker then dilated on the benefits held out by the Land Society to the working classes , and illustrated clearly the
principle of operation by which the society proposed to realise its objects . He urged on them the necessity of joining the society , because by sp doing their condition _would be improved , he invited them to examine for themselves the objects and principles ot the society , convinced as he was that they would stand the ordeal of the strictest scrutiny . ( Hear . ) He wished them to join the society because he was desirous of seeing a spirit of manly independence diffused among the working classes , he advised them to become members of the society , feeling assured tbat their corporeal and mental meliorations would ensue , that they wonld enjoy life ' s choioest blessings in tbe fruits ef their labour , secure in their happy homes , no avaricious landlord or tyrant taskmaster daring to make them afraid . ( Cheers . )
Mr . O'Connor was next introduced , amid the most enthusiastic applause . He said , —If I can form a proper estimate from this great , this magnificent , this cheering demonstration , of the will , the wish , and the mind , of the industrious inhabitants of this vicinity , I must come to the conclusion , that at jlast my mangled fame has burst like a radiant light through that murky halo by which faction hoped to obscure it . ( Loud cheers . ) Their excellent Chairman had a right to be proud of his position to-day , notwithstanding the invitation of the time-serving fool , who writes for hire in a garret—( cheers and laughter)—and who passes in the transfer of opinions to each new purchaser as a portion of
the docile machinery . ( Cheers . ) These are the creatures who threaten most danger to institutions and society , by the vain endeavour of veiling the popular will from the eye of authority . ( _CAieers . ) These , and not you , are the real parties fro . n whom danger is to be apprehended ; but , however , as this time-serving tool has thought proper ' to herald me to your notice as a dangerous man ; and , as he has had the insolence to nickname one o'f our friends , I will show him that , even in Devor . shire , I can play the parson as well as him . k \ v , name is Edward Woolmer ; his townsmen call ' aim Neddy—I presume , from his mental affiniiy to a long-eared gentleman . ( Cheers and Img titer . ) He was once
Mayor of Exeter ; and , as you know , though every horse is not a mare , yefe ' every mare is a horse * . so 1 christen Neddy _Woolm er , ex-mayor of Exeter , the great horse of _Devoatf aire . ;( Loud cheers and laughter . ) He would now tell them why he came amongst them , and for wr , at purpose he was there . He was there to prop ound the philosophy of the several political pa / ties who courted the aid of the industrious as f _, means of securing tlieir own ascendancy ; and " he would ask , which party ' s philosophy —those . v , ho toiled for a mere existence most
approved ; the philosophy of Whiggery , which said , —¦ " Kee _^ us in office , in the hope that you may one day ' oe enabled to make an impression on our _counci-. s * , " or the philosophy of Toryism , which says , — *• ' Honour and obey the King , and all that arc in authority under him "—and thank God that you constitute a portion of that pauperism wliich marks the civilisation of your country—( loud cheers ) * , or the philosophy of political economy , which says , — " Buy in the cheapest , and sell in the dearest market , " while they have the power of affixing the lowest
Accession Of Devonshire To The Chartist ...
standard to the onl y thing you have to sell—your labour ; while they have the power of affixing the highest standard to the chief commodity yoa have to buy—your food ; or the philosophy of Chartism , which says , — "Labour for yourself , produce for yourself , and consume the produce of your own lahour , before there is a surplus for _toaffickers to speculate upon—( loud cheers )—and if the surpks from increased labour shail become so large , that glutted markets shall reduce the price of provisions , rejoice that each well-fed , _well-housed , _well-clothed husbandman , sells but the surplus , after an abundant consumption . " ( Cheers . ) My friend , Mr . -M'Grath ,
has gives you clear and convincing statistics , as to the capabilities of the soil to sustain four times its present amount of population , gleaned from the study of those well informed upon the subject ; but I will give you an illustration that you can analyse in your walks , ruminate upon in your solitude , and carry ; home to your retirement ; it is this—and pay attention to the easy rule : —can any man in Devonshirepoint out to , " me any ten acres in Devonshire , lying together , and cultivated to one-fourth part of their hig hest power of bearing . (" No /' cheers , and > that's it . " ) Well , then , let us cultivate the land four times as well as it is now
cultivated , and let the labourer that produces the increase be the first ] partaker of the fruits ; and * yon have the easy proof of the capability of the land to sustain four times its present amount of population . ( Cheers . ) I admit with Mr . M'Grath , my riends , that under the present system each parish is overpopulated ; but take one State pauper who nips the grass from the fold , and the parish will he found large enoug h , for . the dock . In propounding the principles of the People ' s Charter , and the question of the Land , to you , you are not to be led astray by the supposition that 1 am advocating idleness , or
exemption from toil , or , that I ask for any remission of labour ; for , on the contrary , I ask that labour ' s hands should be unshackled , in order that the labourer may perform more work—BUT FOR HIMSELF . ( Cheers . ) I am not for promoting idleness , nor for distinguishing the idle ; but my object is to separate the willing from the unwilling idler—( cheers)—so that society may be able to say to the wilful idlers of all classes , "Go out from amongst us ; you have had an opportunity of living honourably upon tbe fruits of your own industry j but jou have preferred idleness , aiid dependence upon others to industry and honourable remuneration , and if you will not labour you shall not partake of the fruits of ouv industry . ( Loud
cheers . ) That ' s my doctrine , a doctrine which would solve the problem of theCrirainalLaw , dispense with governmental sanatory improvement , educa . tional aid , and a staudiug army —( cheers , )—hut the Criminal Law ouglitsiot to be a problem when th dietary and disci p line of a prison is preferable to th degradation of a poor house , and when the crime of pauperism is more damning than offence against class-made laws . ( Loud cheers . ) Perhaps the GREAT HORSE OF DEVONSHIRE may say , that , I am disturbing the exuberant and heartfelt loyalt y of her Majesty ' s subjects of Devon , but , my friends , I am endeavouring to establish a system by whicb you may _luTIoyal without being servile , which you may honour without fear , and love without coercion .
( Cheer !!*) I confess that I do not possess that whimsical , capricious description of loyalty which teaches men to crouch slavishly at the footstool of royalty , or to bend the knee lowly before a patchwork minister , composed of the shreds of faction . ( Loud cheers . ) No , my loyalty tells me that I owe support only , and obedience only , to that and those which protect me in the possession and enjoyment and exercise of those rights , the use of which is not injurious to society at large , or to individuals like myself . ( Loud cheers . ) There is no greater p iece of fancy
patchwork than the loyalty by which we are told thrones are supported , he Bishop of Exete r is , no doubt , loyal , but take away the substantial emblems of his trade , and leave bim but the distinction of title to live upon and away flies his loyalty . ( Cheers and laughter . ) So with the parsons of Devonshire , take away their tithes and their loyalty will vanish with them—( cheers , )—and so with the landlords , and so with all classes , and take away the pay of the loyal soldier and you at once stop the stream of his loyalty at the source . Now , I wish you to have _something to he loyal to , you cannot be loyal to a
gorgeous cathedral and stupendous churches , which you are compelled to support against your will , and out of your poor earnings ; you cannot be loyal to Whigs , Tories , and Free Traders , who traffic in your toil ; you cannot be loyal to Lords and Commons who make laws to aid the wealthy in the distribution of the properties of the poor ; you cannot be loyal to bishops , parsons , and landlords , to barristers and lawyers , to bankers , merchants , and manufacturers , to soldiers , sailors , and policemen , to gaols , and Poor Law Bastiles , to shop keepers , that vote away your interest , to laws that oppress you , and soeiety that
degrades you—( loud and continued cheering )— hut shew roe the recreant renegade , the soulless monster that will be disloyal to a system that cherishes his . comfort , protects his industry , defends his property , and enahles him to live honestly upon the sweat , of his own brow . ( Cheers . ) Show me the father that will allow the growing child to nourish one disloyal thought towards institutions that are equally protective of thc lives , the liberties , and the properties of the poor and the rich . ( Cheers . ) Mr . O'Connor then entered into a lucid exposition of the capabilities of . the soil and the principles of the
Chartist Co-operative Land Association . Then , said he , this is the new feature in Chartism , winch the enthusiastic ignorant assured me would destroy the great political principle , but I now appeal to a large jury of sufferers who are struggling for the means of living by honourable labour , and I ask them if I have destroyed the spit by putting a leg of mutton upon it—( loud cheers and laughter )—of oue thing , however , the working classes may rest satisfied , it is , that rather than live upon their pennies I will hecome a practical illustrator of my own Land theory by living as an independent gentleman upon two
acres of land , rather than as a state pauper upon the gleanings of the poor man ' s board . ( Loud cheers . ) lie would ask that meeting whether they had in aught participated in the political benefits of tbe Reform Bill , or in the social improvements upon increased commerce and manufacturers , i Shouts of not a bit . ) Yes , they were mistaken , they were benefited in the highest degree—they bad increased in civilisation , as Sir Robert Peel told them , that increasing poverty was consequent upon increasing
civilization . ( Laughter . ) Away , then , with civilization , and welcome , thrice welcome , barbarism , that barbarism whicli would not tolerate the improvement of the palace and the ruin ofthe cottage—that barbarism whicli would not laud the merchant for exchanging bis cottage for a mansion , and brand the poov man as a conspirator and a criminal if he sought to exchange his _slave-den for a freeman ' s cottage . ( Loud cheers . ) He asked but for an unerring scale by which all classes should unerringly participate in all improvements , hi * , * - to protested
Accession Of Devonshire To The Chartist ...
_agarnst the doctrine that the poor should exist capwrionsly upon the sweat of their brow while the _privileged live luxuriously upon their labour . ( Cheers . ) These blessings , my friends , can * only be obtamedfor you—the land can only be obtained for you—by Annual Parliament _^ Universal Si iflfrage , Vote by Ballot , Equal _Represenlation , No Property qualification for members of _Parliament , and Pay . ment of members for their pub-He services . ( _Soud cheers and waving of hats . ) Aft , but you are * not fit for the _enjoyment _' of those blessings 1 Seventyfive years ago , Fox and Richmond , propounded therii ; for the benefit of party , and from
_that- hour . to . the , present faction has met the '' demandb y : the charge of popular _ignokranee , wWle the same populace _ignorantly contribute ten millions a year to the support . of a state church _,, whose duty it is to educate you , yto enlighten your minds and improve your understandings , to the end that you may be able to distinguish between right and wrong , between an . h _« _oest man and a rogue , . which after all is the best qualification for a voter . ( Loud cheers . ) WeHj but in the face of this disqualifying ignorance they should treat us by the same rule as they treat all other professions . The qualification for the church requires so muchdivi .
nity , for the barrister so much mystery , for the lawyer so much roguery , for the doctor so much assurance for the apothecary so much chemistry , and for the lawmakers so much ignorance . ( Loud cheers and laughter . ) Will they , even now , after seventyf ive years' agitation , prescribe the electoral course , and whether it he ethics , logics , or the classics , natural history , heathen mythology or metaphysics , chemistry , mineralogy or geology , astrology , the use of the globes or political economy , he ( Mr . O'Con , nor ) will venture within a prescribed time to qualif y the working classes in any of'those mysterious
branches . ( Loud and continued cheering , and waving of hats . ) They were qualified to pay rent , they were qualified to pay tithes , to pay taxes , and to carry arms , and in discovering their respective qualificat ions , for the . performance of these several services , no qualification was required beyond the ; will of the tyrants strong , and if mental qualification was necessary , the Chancellor of the Exchequer and his staff would perambulate the nation with a brain guage convincing fools of their wisdom , idiots of their rationality , and the ignorant of their education . ( Repeated cheers . ) Luxurious hypocrites ,
who revelled upon paupers' sweat , designated him ( Mr . O'Connor ) as an unchristian dog , ' as an infidel , a firebrand aud destructive , hecause iu obedience to his mission he had sought to carry out the injunctions of his Creator by raising those who fall , and comforting and assisting the weak-hearted . ( Loud cheers . ) He proclaimed it as an unnatural state of things that , while the bird had its . nest , of which the strong of each class would not deprive the weak of its tribe , that while the wild beasts of the field had their "jungle , " their "lair , " their " earth , " their " form , " their " burrow , " their hole , or their
resting-place , that man , poor man , made from distinction after the image of his Maker , should alone hold his refuge from the storm , and the winter ' s blast , at the caprice ofa tyrant b y the system made more powerful than himself . ( Loud and long continued cheering . ) He protested against any system , any law , or any practice which deprived man of his habitation , lt is folly to say that he occupies the property of another , and that failure of a contract which society will not allow him to fulfil , justly drprives him of his home , * tor I say , free him , unshackle 'him , and protect him , and like other animals , and with more
wisdom , every son of the soil will soon erect his own habitation . ( Loud cheers . ) Do you then think that I am an unchristian dog , a destructive , and a leveller ? ( No , no , and cheers . ) No , my friends , 1 who hate suffering would not pull down the mighty , even the oppressor , to your state of degradation ; but , without injuring them , would raise you up . to the standard of freedom , simply by throwing you upon your own resources , and placing you in- the free labour market , for the free exercise of your own industry , and the full , the free and undiminished enjoyment of your own produce . ( Great cheering
and waving of hats . ) And when this experiment , made upon a national scale , shall fail , and when the lordly oak is levelled to the dust , and when _^ the wild forest is converted into a field for labour , . when the race grounds , the heaths , the wildernesses , and the now barren wilds are subdued by your industry to the supply of man ' s wants , and when all England is one great garden , proclaiming her greatness through individual happiness , comfort and prosperity , instead ol traffic , monopoly and * speculation j then , if the Lord's gift to man shall be-too small for the Lord ' s children in this land , I wilt join you in
search of other climes and other shoves , but first I will make the experiment of St . Patrick " to _banisb nil the vermin . ' *' ' ( Great cheering . ); And to prove to you that I am governed by Christian feelings , and , by them only , and as we are no > monopolists even , in salvation ,, and as the parsons tea . us that there must be tribulation , and weeping , and wailing , and gnashing of teeth , and suffering , and w , oe _> . and sorrow in this lovely world , which God gave as a cherished ! gift , and not as a seduction to . guilt before man can insure _salvaiion in the next _, world , in God ' s name , lot the bishops , parsons , luxurious , voluptuous , and
the idle now qualify themselves for eternal salva _, tion , by taking their share of tribulation , of sorrow , and of woe . ( Loud cheers . ) But , alas ! my friends , their assignment and division of the good things of this life are like the prize money and the bullets iu the navy , the officers getting the largest share of the prize money , and tbe sailors more than their fair proportion of the shot . ( Cheers and laughter . A ship was once going into action , when the first lieutenant saw an able seaman kneeling and praying at a gun . D _^ n your eyes , said he , with a kick , what are you doing there ? Praying , your
honour , says Jack , that the officers may have the largest share of the shot to-day as they will of the prize . ( Roars of laughter . ) Mr . O'Connor then refuted the fallacy ofthe Small Farm system being the ruin of Ireland . I'll tell you , said he , what constitutes Ireland ' s . misery and her poverty . Suppose a peasant takes twenty acres of land from a landlord , at a pound an acre , he very soon increases the value of that land to twenty-five shillings an acre , and as a landlord of straw can break a tenant of steel tbe griping tyrant landlord thrusts the legitimate owner of one fifth of the entire property from its possession and makes a pauper , a thief , and a rebel of the
disinherited slave . So , my mends , while wages are I low and poverty U universal in Ireland , I use the 1 situation of Ireland in illustration of the value of the land , because I shew you that while 8 d , a day , or £ 10 a year , is the hig hest wages that a _Uvkniver can earn , the man who had raised the value of the twenty acres from . £ 20 to £ 25 a year will have earned , - £ 5 a year for ever , or . flOO at , 5 per cent within three years , or . £ 33 a year after " living , for he'll increase the value in less than three years . So that even in poor _M-eland , you see , labour , if protected , would soon work out its own _salvation , without being a beggar at England ' s door . , ( Loud
And Continued-Cheering.) "• Nowr-Thal' 8...
and continued-cheering . ) " _NoWr-thal ' _8- _^ y _» polk _y not to make you idle ,, but to make you work twic as hai * d ; to . induce yo u'to work job-work every hour . in the day , and every day in the year , that you _ _arfi ahle ; and to have the same _cdnsolih g _'hopethaFal other _, classes have ,, that , your toil . , is sweeteneiby ; the cheering reflection _^ that you hasten the > day of retirement , comfort , and honourable ease , And why should you not ? ' Whydoes the barrister fag by tbe dull lamplight ? : Wh y does _thefermer plod through _, out the day ? Wh y does the shopkeeper , after a day ; of _exhanstion and toil , _thonftb weaned , still stand al " the _coanter in the hope of a stray customer , it ia _^ because h » labour is sweetened by the hope of m " earlier day of retirement and release from tbil
(( Great cheering .- } There is a home : m oUage forthe soldier and the-sailor , for the p _Sacema-B and the pen * ioner *; : there » compensationfo-rthetribe » offaction , _whoseservices-were never needed *; - there * & superannuation for the * _ymrng sons of the ar » Dowaey , the wealthy , and- the powerful i- when' BusU ness Becomes wlteoine ; bHt , alas- ! ' ther * U no home ; and na-. refuge in old' age- _fosr _&« . toil-womislave , uuoft _> whose industry all have- _ili-aiL , and all cf whom have-socked his blood-through * life , ( but the bastile , the dead house , and the paupe _^ a : cold grave :- _(^ reat sensation . ) I am _now-drawi _hgdJO a close . k _\ tAl _* h ) that those who have' _supptKfedl that the addition of a fiW-roomed cottage / _foflr acre *
| of land , £ 39 ) . and a lease for ever , _wouldi _have-• _strangledthe-People ' _s-eharter— ( cheers , an * no , _nb . _)] | No ,. my friends ; . while I am here , in the- midst _^ _ofl _jyourhills , an 65 _surrounded'by those who never _sawirae-before , it is ray pride _- . and my consolation , and ' your protection ; . to- know- that I have left _- bebind ; rae , ' in ! Hertfordahire ,. thirt y : fivedumb but eloquent _propounded of the principles of the People ' s-CHarter —( loud and continued cheering . ) Yes , my friends , the- Villa , and . the- Land can inspire thought and hope , - . » nd _confideiroo-and aotion , while _elo-rueiroe
wouldifail to convince _^ -Qbud cheers . ) I would l _& k the sceptical , whether- the- experiment in Hertfosdshire-has damaged : Shartism-in that county J * Or , I would ask , haveli not supplied a ready answer _^ to each passer by ,, when-questioned as to the meaning of the People ' s Charter ; . When the most i gnorant wouldifail _to-receive-linowled ge from the most eloquent _-ffordsi _. or _the-mos _^ siniple explanation , whereis the man , however dull' or steeped in ignorance-, who will fail to comprehend ' the meaning of _aHomefrom which no , tyrant oau eject hira—Land , . out which he-may discover tiie value of free labour , and '
Capital ,, toenable him _to-oontend against the _disadJvantage _& _of poverty —(; fcremendous eheering . ) And } _, when I have-placed- * _the-sfere-class in those lovely habitations , of their own Ii will have erected a _monument of * gratitude in- _eachi possessor ' s heart ; ami when-my labours are-ended- , and when called upom to settle my last account , I may proudly lay my head upon my pillow , and dying , exclaim ; "ThanfcGtodil have-left the world better than I ? _foundiit ! _'" Mr : O'Cbnnoc retired amid the most enthusiastic applause- and ; excitement we ever witnessed .. Mr . Tahsbb them moved 1 , and Mr . Elms seconded ; the following resolution , which waa carried by acclamation -. _»_ '„
"That tbis meeting highly approve of Mr . O'Gonnor ' _s object , and tlie object of the Chartist Co-operative Land Soeiety ; and we hereby pledge ourselves to do all in- our power to give effect thereto , by using our best effort . ; fbr its extension throughout this connty ,. and taking effectual means for _rousing'the working * population from their present degraded position in society / ' ' A Gentleman on the platform proposed a vote of thanks-to thechairmaii , wliich Mr . O'Connor
seconded-in-a speech highly complimentary to Mr . WiU kinson ftr his _u-ndeviating advocacy of the people ' s rights , and which was earried amid thunders _oK applause . The . _eltairnian briefly returned thanks , when Mr . _O'Cbnuor eailed for three cheers fcp the Land and the Charter , which was responded to with right hearty good will , amid waving of hats . He then called for three _ebeers for Mr . Duneombe , the people ' s only representative , which was rapturously responded to „ aiul the meeting then separated , _giying three cheers fer Messrs . O'Connor and _M'Grathl
Tbe Tea Party. " , Thissplendid'entertai...
TBE TEA PARTY . " , _Thissplendid _' entertainnienttook placein thelarge ball-room of tho Slobe Hotel , where about 2 oi ) hi gbly respectable people ,, men and women , sat down to a very excellent ,, amd well arranged tea party - . how * ever , so great was the _enthusiasm , that the stewards were compelled to-divide the company intotwoparties . The orchestra was occupied by the splendid tee-total band , and nothing could surpass the good order ; gpodi feeling , and decorum , that prevailed . Deputation ** - _froim nearly all parts of Devonshire - f rom Plymouth ; : from Exeter ; from Tiverton ; from Tavistock ; : from- Asbburton ; from Teignmouth ; from Totness , _Torqjuay , and various other _^ districts , were present ,, some bavin 1 * walked a distance of , over 30 miles * and all expressing themselves more than _satisfied'with the day ' s _proceedings .
When . theceremoQy of tea drinking was over , Mr . Wilkinson waa _agafn called upon to preside , amid the _heartjicheera-ofhis fellow countrymen and _neighbours ,. and . we _feela-ssured that tbat _his-hly respected and gifrod _inuiiywliad must bave felt _fluttered at bis reception . When , the- apphaase bad subsided , he said—I do assure you my Mends , if all who witaessed this day ' s proceeding ' s feel as 1 do , the pulse of Devonshire mustrbeat _hight . If I felt _delightecl- with the profound _.-kuths , thai I heard so eloquently enforced this _moiming , and' if I felt gratified & i the marked attention paid to > the speakers , and the orderly and dignified-conduct ) ofthe audience , I feel still more
impressed with the solemnity and Importance of this night ' s proceedings . ( Cheers . ) Yes my friends , I feel its ¦ importance doubly , because , so many virtuous females ,, anxious to raise themselves , their families , and their children , and their children ' s children , to thatsocial state for whioh their creator designed them , have graced our festival with their presence . ( _iJLDUtt cheers . ) When-, man talks of-his rights . and his privileges , ne must bear in _misd that womaahas . her rights and her privileges also , and it is cheering to find them thus raising with us , to aid us , to council us , to comfort us . and help us . in the struggle . ( Cheers . ) _VVhethar she be the -wife of a manufacturing operative , oil of an _aEricultural
labourer sue has equally to bear her domestic burden , to participate in the husband ' s sorrows , and share _hisaSiieiaons . ( Cheers . ) _'i'be women of "Devonshire long to bo able to assist in _, the improvement of their country , and in the improvement of the . ; -social and _politioal condition of theivr order , and at length tliey have had their minds _turned in the right direction ; in that direction in which their creator and maker intended they should walk ,, as _honoat cultivators ot the 301 I of their- own country . ( _Geeat cheering . ) . My friends , i ; have joined the brotherhood of Ot ' _u- ' Fellows ior thesame reason that I have joined in ,, your holy cause , because it is paternal ; because it as-christian ; because it is .
protective ofthe widow : wid the orphan ;; aud because it respects the memory * of the dead , and the . feelings of the friends of the departed . ( Loud and continued cheering . " ) And _yjJuU can be more- recommendatory of a principle , audi of its object , ' _< good to all and injurious to none . ' . ' * _( Cheers . ) It _isoi pious v-ark and a holy work , to _iiasd the hungry , to clothe _the-. naked , and to lessen _tkesulferiugs of _tliaafflicted . (( Sheers . ) And it is _beoanse _^ I think that ojir political and social princip _' & _s . are upon a large and extended scale , of what , the principle * -., of _oddfelkw _^ bip are upon a mote limited scale , that lean without distinction or violation of any _conscicnSioiis _feelinc , belong at ilia , same time to . the two brotherhoods . ( Great _chsei-iag . ) For the 3 e . reasons ,, then , I say ,
go on ; _penswvere against-,, all oa _«* . and every obstacle ,, iifttil the _wholfl . nation shall resound with _cna-lpaad song of joy lor tie- emancipation of the- poos-. ( Cheers , j _'; Who could hear the bold imifahs enunciated by the fc , w . o _. gentlemen on my right and left this day ; wht ) . could witness the greediness with which " _shose truths , were imbibed by a peop le , i * whom they were new , _thou-ili hopeful , _withouii coming to the conclusion tkt party can no longer- teach the science of legishuiion to suit mere _pactj purposes . 1 have seen many moves in my time , but never one till now , that was , calculated ti > place the several classes of society in , their relative social positions _without the suspicion of one being roused by
tho jealousy o _£ _anothen . ( Cheers . ) The Lund is man s gift from his maker ,, and as you were eloquently told by the _speakers to-day , it is his inheritance , his birth right , ' though too ' long withheld i ' rom him . _( Cheers . ) My frienvk , 1 neod not on tbis occasion repent tlie injuaetinn oi * this morning , to keep thc peace , _because , wc havo a guarantee for the decorum of the most _ys-de in the presence of the ladies _^ Nor , indeed , should I havo thought it necessary to , have made the _veriest this morning , had it not heen lor tlie Hint _Sliveil _l ) Y Mr . Woolmer to the maptr . iteS > ot the vicinitv . _Wenictinfcllowshipfoi-ahigh , aiuighty , ' . « Hla noble purpose , and wc parted in peace to _poiiiler upon the important and startling truths we heard ; and to
me it was » g lorious day , a day ot gladness , aud re < rContinuedon _tAe " Eig heh _' PttgetJ _,
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Sept. 12, 1846, page 1, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns3_12091846/page/1/
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