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tried ten hourslabourand societyfewer ha...
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¦ Central Cnminal Court*
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-i . ¦ '—«'~——_ .-.~~~-.». SiTUBDiT. -As...
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police Sntellt' sftue*
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GUILDHALL. MoxDAr.—Wisdow Ubeakixo. — El...
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GREAT BANQUET IN FAVOUR OF A TEN HOURS'B...
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^£!* co l mn ? Mtttim^
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CHARTIST CO-OPi&RATrVE L ANDSOOIETI, Mee...
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»UUKUUJ( i. VU1TA1J A'VUM AH, UI XO, «««» — ,i.g 3 * Printed by DOUGAL M'OOWAN, of 16 , great w "* d<Nf'
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»UUKUUJ( . VUTAJ A'VUM AH, UI XO, «««» ,...
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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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.
Tried Ten Hourslabourand Societyfewer Ha...
. THE NORTHERN ST *» December 27 . 10 _, 8 ———¦ ¦ - I 1 ¦ ¦ , ¦ 5
¦ Central Cnminal Court*
¦ Central _Cnminal Court *
-I . ¦ '—«'~——_ .-.~~~-.». Situbdit. -As...
_-i . ¦ ' —« ' ~——_ .-. _~~~ -. » . _SiTUBDiT . -Assacvt os the UiGii Seas . —Alexander Gordon an d T . Cummins , the captain and chief mateot the ba rque _llatiliesis , were iudicied f _. _ir assaulting John Scott on the high seas , ivithm the jurisdiction of the _Admiralty of Eng land , iu the month of June last . Mr . p . iyue stated the case to thejury , and made some rein irks relative to the case which was tried in the _Xew Court during the week , when , o whig to some technicalities , the _prisoners were _acquitted , and the prosecutor and nit _nasses erdered to go again before the grand jury . John Scott deposed that he is apprentice to the owners ofthe llatthesis _, and in that vessel he crossed the line on the 20 th of June last . He was fetched ( ordered ) from below hy the mate , nho ordered hi : n to go aloft , hut as he was . quite naked , excepting his shirt , he refused to go up tar-- - .... , _» . IT _« ... _ . „ himself lie
" " ' ing the rigging until he had " rigged" , -was forced to obey , hut before he did so he received several " tastes" ofthe rope ' s end trom Cummins . On going up in liis huny to get from him he ( the boy ) spilt some tar on one or the lower sails . The mate after many threats , came aloft aud rope ' s ended him . Witness attempted to get away by desceuding a " back stay , " hut he missed his bold and fell iuto the sea . The vessel was going at about seven knots au hour , but she was " backed"in order to pickhim up . lie was hauled on board in au exhausted state . After tlie lapse of an hour , Captain Gordou _ordered him to be tied to the " mizen , * ' and the mate ( Cumuiins ) then gave him " two dozen . " The captain then ordered liim to be taken down , and then commanded witness to fall on his knees , and beg his : ( the captain ' s ) jtardon . Witness did so and then he was tied up to thc x obedience and
_E-ireu _, and ordered two dozen more for his -seeming contrition . The mate wanted to " cat " him again , but the captain would not al . ow him , hut he ( the captain ) ordered one of the apprentices ( a tighter hand ) to do it . The boy was encouraged to "lay on , " and Wood flowed fr-m the bach of wituess . Inthe evening t . * rt $ _Ksamed-. v 5 _CaptfuaGovdoucalWdhuainto the poop , < u _ d saii to liiui , "Scott , I want to speak to you—take effyourjacket . " The captain then took out a phial , and said " I'll blister this boy ' s hack as sure as he has hurt my feelings . " He said it contained vitriol , andhe tubbed some on witness ' s hack . The mate then took the phial , and emptied itbn his back , which made witness sore and hot , and painful . Witness had to watch four hours the same night on thc poop , with a handspike ou his shoulders , which was not the usual practice . Wheu the mate came
rouud aud sung out" all well , " he desired witness to tell the strings of the cat which he brought « ith hiin . Philip Xlorris corroborated tlie above . The boy ' s back ivas cut across , bruised , and bloody . Saw it after the vitriol was poured on , and it ( tlie back ) smoked like a cop of coft ' ee . It was in a fire state , red all overi and smoking * —Mr . Ballantine commenced n long _address to the jury on behalf of Captain Gordon and called their attention to ths evidence of tlie witness Morris , . and the Jlippant manner in which itwas given , but he should probably have to advert to his testimony again by and by . The gentlemen might probably be _siwarc of tlie groat _danger incurred byvessels when near the Equatorial line , iu consequence of sudden gusts , squalls , and storms , _wlim-by the utmost fliliigence of every person on board was required . It had heen stated that the boy ( Scott ) was found asleep below ,
when probably he ought to hare been on deck or aloft If this was so , there was no harm if the mute drove him up ¦ Kith die rope ' s end . His conduct had provoked the mate to foUow him to theyards , from whence he cast himself into the sea , and what of that ? A good deal had been made « f it . hue the boy could come to no harm , for he could feWistllkeaduek . He ( Mr . Ballantine ) feltalittle alarmed when-he heard Mr . Payne dilating on the great liberty -which he had _exercisi-d with the " cat , " and his terrible inflictions . Thejury had seen the instrument of torture , aud fouud it to consist of nine pieces of thin twine , and used without a handle . It was a proper weapon to dog a lazy hoy with , without indicting serious injury . Much had been said about die vitriol , which one of them called _simple cerate , which is composed of spermaceti , aud is
one of the most simple remedies . It had no t been preved that auy corrosive drug had been applied to die boy's hack . He ( Mr . ISallantine ) should call witnesses to prove that Morris was not to he believed on his oath . Mr . Uud'dlestone then addressed the jury at some length on behalf of Cummins , and then Mr . Robinson called _several _witnesse-, who stated the captain to be a very humane gentleman , and to prove that the punishment -under the circumstances was not too severe . They all appeared t <> be of opinion that Morris was a person on ¦ whose word _little reliance was to bc placed . After along consultation thejury returned a verd'et of guilty against Captain Gordon on the second count ( for ordering the second dozen ) , and acquitted the mate Cummins . The judgm . ntof the court ou Gordon , was respited to Monday .
Mosdat . —Jtochekt on Captain Gobdon . —At ten o'clock , Alexander Gordon , the commander ofthe barque _JInttiiesis , was brought into court to receive his judgment . Ilr . _Coinmicsioutr Bullock addressed him at some length , and observed that he had been tried for , a nd found guilty of an assault , after a patient hearing and due consideration . It appeared that tlie defendant had paid £ 10 into court , in order to meet part ofthe expenses consequent on this prosecution , therfore the fine about to be imposed would be reduced in its amount . The judgment of tue court therefore was , that he do pay a fiaeof £ 10 , and then , andnot till then , be discharged .
Police Sntellt' Sftue*
_police _Sntellt ' sftue *
Guildhall. Moxdar.—Wisdow Ubeakixo. — El...
GUILDHALL . MoxDAr . —Wisdow _Ubeakixo . — Eliza Jones , Mary Hayes , Eliza Montague , aud Martha Pike , who had just heen released from ten days' imprisonment at Brixton , for window breaking ; were charged with wilfully breaking three panes of glass in the shop of Mr . Inglis , the biscuit "hiker iu St . Paul ' s Churchyard . The officer produced the stuues uifh which the mischief was effected . They weighed nearly a puund each . Mr . Aid . Hughes Hughes inquired the - value of the glass . Mr . Inglis said the panes cost him ahout £ 14 , and he could get them Tephiced for £ 12 . One
« if thc girls came into the shop , and begged for a few stale "buns before the attack was commenced . He had no stale luiis to give them . The prisoners ( who were vagrants ) said they had no home , no parish , and they were huugry . Mr . Alderman Hughes Hughes observed that they had wantonly inflicted a grievous loss ou a tradesman , who tvas _contributing largely in rates to the support of the pour : aud if their object was to be iu gaol ou Christmasday , and to make sure of beiug committed , he would take care that they should be disappointed . He would give orders tliat th-y should he strictly excluded from partaking of die Christmas fare , and that they should be kept to hard labour for two months .
Assaults ox tub Police . —George Mackay , John Murray , Edward Joyce , James Lawler , aud John ilowlcy , weresevcrally committed to Bridewell for a month , without the option of paying a line , for committing assaults upon the police .
BOW STREET . Mosdat . —Robbert . —Richard Steele , aged twentyeight years , was placed at the bar before Mr . Hall , _charsred on his own confession widi stealing ' six letters , one of wliich contained a £ l _* J Bank of England note , and another a hill of exchange ior £ 252 , die property of Messrs . Lawrence , Spencer , and Co ., cotton merchants , near Preston , in Lancashire , his employers . Tne prisoner was remanded . Tcesdav . —Robbebt bv a Leiteb . Carries . —Thomas Bennett , au assistant letter carrier in the Camberwell JUtrict , was placed at the bar before Mr . Jardiuc , charged -with stealing two letters containing money , which came into his possession for delivery , the property of the Postmaster-General . After the evidence of several witnesses had heen taken , the prisoner , who dechued making auy defence , was full y committed for trial .
WORSUIP STREET : Mosdat . —A Miscreant . —Thomas Goodwin , a young man of rather smart appearance , described as a stonemason , was placed at the bar before Mr . Broughton , ¦ cha- ged with having assaulted and _crusUy ill-tTeated a young woman named Anne Harris , under the following aggravated circumstances : —The complainant ' s face was greatly disfigured with recent marks of violence , and fihe liad an infant in her arme , whose forehead and the front of its dress were also covered with congealed blood . It appeared from the poor creature ' s _statement that she was the daughter ofa respectrble tradesman residing at Chelsea , but that her father had utterly discarded and turned her out of doors iu consequence of her having formed au
unhappy connection with thc prisoner , who had effected her ruin , and afterwards deserted her . Since the birth of her child she had made repeated endeavours to induce the prisoner to contribute a trifling sum towards its _sujijwrt , hut he treated all her importunities with derision -and defiance , and finding that her incessant labour .-: at the needle were insufficient to procure them the bare means of subsistence , she was at length obliged , a fewdays since , to apply at this court for a summons to compel him to make some permanent provision for its maintenance . Feeling reluctant , however , to enforce such harsh measures if they could possibly be avoided , she resolved to try the ciFcct of a last appeal to his feelings , and for that purpose repaired nith her child on Saturday evening to a public-house iu Shoreditch , where she found
him , _dri-iking with several of his low associates , and having described the starving condition to which his child and herself were reduced , implored some Assistance Theprisoner answered her application with a _hurst-of _1-iughter , and puliiug out a handful of Mirer from his pocket , told her Iu a tantalizing manner tliat she might take what she pleased of the money , aud he would instantly cal ! iu a policeman and gire her ia eharge for _ielony . After abusiug her wi t h t he foule s t lan g uage for venturing to take out a summons against him , aud slating that he would he four hundred miles away on tbe . day appointed for its hearing , he commenced aa unmer-. ei _& l attack upon _lwr , aud continued beatiug her about _2 he fare until his own companions remonstrated with him upon his brutal behaviour , and compeUed him to _Avsut . The prisoner afterwards anproached her with an aie of affected contrition
_ , aud _requesting that she ' . _vould' _- 'Kiss and he friends , " suddenly fixed his teeth ia her . _ueder lip and bit it nearly through . He then dung iervjolestly fiom Wm , and she immediatel y hastened into the -tercet and obtained ' lhe assistance ofa policecnaAi , _vshofwok him into custody . On being called upon foi ii » defuse , tlie prisoner said that he certainl y struck the 3 i * amau _ teveral times , but that he acted under strong _Revocation , as she was always following him about and _pesuziag him far money . —Mr . Broughton said that a mere eruel and cowardly outrage than the prisuner had _fomuiiited had seldom been brought under his notice , and it was only out of consideration for the feelings of the unfortunate woman , whom he had involved in disgrace and ruin , that he should abstain from committing him for trial . He should order him , however _,-1- > pay the fall pmalty of £ 5 , or commit him , iu default , for two _-Bondu ta die House of Correction ; and he should re-
Guildhall. Moxdar.—Wisdow Ubeakixo. — El...
quire him further , at the exp iration ofhis imprisonment , to find bail for his good behaviour f jr the next three months .
CLERKENWELL . TnESDAi . —Botisg a Child . —Anne Lincoln , a young woman , with an infant in her arms , was charged with stealing a great caat , pocket-book , and other articles , the property of Mr . Daniel Williams , a copper-plate printer , residing at No . 30 , Cheapside , under the following singular circumstances : —Mr . Williams , an elderly gentleinau , deposed that on the previous night he was returning home through _Sauron-hill , when he met the prisoner , who asked him if he would buy her child . Having no child ofhis own he was anxious to make the purchase , and , as the nig ht was cold , they went into a public-house to have some refreshment . The prisoner told him that the child was in bed at her lodging * , iu Stanley ' s-court , and thither heth of them proceeded . Mr . Combe inquired witness ' s occupation , aud he handed in his card , on which was printed the above address and trade . Witness then proceeded to say thatthe prisoner asked one shilling
for her child . Mr . Combe—Are you a child dealer ? Mr . Mould ( the clerk)—He is not so described on his card Witness—I never bought a child before . Mr . Combe— , They seem to he down in the market just now , ( Laughter . ) Witness added , that he went into the room in which thc child slept with the prisoner , and , after exa . mining tbe child , gave her the shilling . She then asked another ; he gave it her . She demanded another—he g ave her that too , and then wrapt the babe np in his great coat , for the purpose of taking it home and adopting it . The mother asked him to give it her , that she might wrap it up properly ; hut had no sooner got it in her arms than she ran out with the child , coat , and money , slamming the door in hie face . He called iu a policeman , and gave the prisoner into custody . The coat was found and given up to him . He did not wish to prosecute . Mr . Combe advised Mr . Williams to confine his dealings to the ordinary articles of commerce , and discharged the woman .
MARYLEBONE . Monday . —Extensive _Ststem of Swindlino . —An unusual degree of interest was excited at this court , in consequence of it having been the day appointed for the re-examination of Frederick William Kelly , alias Captain Kelly , who on Tuesday last was brought up on the charge of having obtained fraudulently a sum of money from Mrs . Oakeley , a dressmaker , residin g at So . 7 6 , Lisson-grove north . The prisoner is , it is supposed , one ofthe most expert swindlers who for some time past have infested the metropolis and various parts ofthe country . He has several times figured at this and other police courts , and information has continually been forwarded to the several station-houses with regard to his nefarious practices , from what transpired on the first Inquiry ' a few particulars connected With Which
have been given ) it appeared that iu July last the prisoner occupied ready-furnished apartments at Mrs . Oak ley ' s house , and tbat he had not been there many days before he induced her to cash for him a bill for £ 13 on tiie London and Westminister Bank ; she gave him £ 12 , reserving the other £ 1 for die accommodation . The said hill was signed " W . P . C . Kelly , " and in order , as he stated , that she should be satifised that she might consider herself perfectly free from loss , he gave iuto her hands also a bill purporting to be drawn by him upou Robert Glenister , Esq ., Marine Villa , _Mariuo-parade , Brighton ; the amount of it was £ 100 . The name "R . Glenister , " was written across it , audit was made payable at Jones Loyd and Co . ' s . The two bills upon being presented turned out to be entirely worthless , and as she had thus been swindled out other money by the prisoner ,
who suddenly absconded from her house soon after the advance was made to hira , she gave a description of his person to the police , by whom he was at length apprehended on the morning of the Kith instant at a house in Boyle-street , Regent-street , where he was living with a young female who there passed as his wife , as she did at her ( Mrs . Oakeley ' s ) dwelling . Mrs . Oakeley was with the officers wheu they captured him , and she accused him of having stolen a razor of hers , but he denied that he had done anything of the sort . The razor was found in t he apartmen t , and also twenty-four duplicates relating to plate and other valuable articles of different descriptions . Mrs . Curridge , 55 , Brook-street , Lambeth , said that about three months ago the prisoner took a furnished room of her upon the first floor , and that after remaining a week he went away , saying that he was obliged to go off
by the railroad to see an aunt who was very ill . Ho paid her for his lodgings , and directly after his departure she missed a silver caddy spoon . —Peodore Shaw , a very genteel looking _giil , 17 years of age ( the companion of Kelly while pursuing the system of victirai 6 hig ) , said that she was now living with her aunt and uncle at Kennington . She first became acquainted with the prisoner about six mon t hs a g o , and they had since been together as man and wife . After leaving Brook-street , they went to an hotel near the Great Western Railway , where they stayed two days ; while there he ( prisoner ) gave to her a silver EpoOIlj which he desired her to pledge at Neatt ' s , Duke-street , Manchester-square , and she did so . He told her tbat he had brought the spoon from his former lodging hy mistake . The spoon was produced and identified hy Mrs . Curridge as having _bsen
stolen from her house : -it had been pledged by the prisoner in the name of Anne King . Mr . Itawlinson ( to the prisoner)—I am about to remand you ; if you wish to say anything I am read y to hear you . Prisoner —I did not steal the spoon , nor did I give any authority to the woman to pawn it ; and if you will call her back she will do me the justice to say so . Mr . Rawlinson—What ! debauch a young girllike this , aud then talk about the questioning her again with the view of doing you justice ? She has sworn that you told her to pledge the spoon . Several respectable persons who had been listening to the evidence adduced , here pressed forward eagerly , at the same time expressing a desire to state what they knew of tbe prisoner and his practices , some of them having been sufferers to a considerable extent . Mr . Cazotte , of 10 , Mount-street , Grosvenor-square , said ,
that about eight months ago the prisoner engaged of him a furnished first-floor , at one hundred guineas per annum , at the same time stating , when called upon for a reference , that application with respect to him might he made at Eustone-park , Oxford , and that he had a great deal of property in that neighbourhood ; he ( Mr . Cazotte ) being unable to go down immediately , repaired thither as soon as he was able , and on his arrival he found that the representations made to him were false ; on his return home he turned out the prisoner at the early hour of five in the morning . Another person here stepped up in the witness-box , and said that about two months ago theprisoner , while living nith his lady at Vine Cottage , Babhicombe , Bevonshire , succeeded in obtaining from Mr . Hodge , a draper in an extensive way of business at Torquay , silks , satins , table
linen , < fcc . . tc , to the amount of between £ 30 and £ 40 . Mr . Hodge subsequently received information from a solicitor that the prisoner was a well-Known swindler , and acting npon that information he ( Mr . Hodge repaired to the prisoner ' s dwellin g , when he broughtaway a portion ofthe articles which had been sent in . Mr . Patterson , landlord of the Green Man and Still , Oxford-street , stated that the prisoner had lodged at his house , and ran up a debt amounting to £ 3 . He offered to deposit with him some wine in payment thereof ; but he refused to receive it , imagining that he ( _prisoner ) was engaged in swindling transactions . He had since understood thatthe wine was obtained
fraudulently from Messrs . Fortnum and Mason , Piccadilly . The p r isoner , who seemed completely astounded at finding so strong an array of evidence against him , aud who merely repeated his denial of having authorised the girl Shaw to pawn the spoon , wasremauded till Monday _ne-ct . Tradesmen and others from Bevonshire and Kent , and also many more iu London , will , no doubt , appear agaiust him on that day . It may be well to state that the prisoner is a man apparently sixty years of age , of sallow complexion , aud abont five fest eight inches high ; he wears a brown great coat and black trowsers . This brief description of him may cause other parties to prefer charges .
LAMBETH . Tdesdat . —Gross Odtrace _asto _Ihpodlnt Robbery . Thomas Smith , a notorious thief and desperate character , and Ann Jones , a middl « -aged female , were placed at the bar before Mr . Henry , the former on a charge of stealing a £ 10 note under a threat of assassination , and the latter receiving the note , well knowing it to bare been stolen . Mrs . Frances Gallehue , a widow lady , deposed that on the evening of Sundpy week she was at the house of Mr . Hamblin , of 3 , _Crayford-road , Coldblow-lane , Camberwell , aud at about ten minutes to eight o ' clock , heari n g a double knock at the door , she went to answer it . Upon opening the door , a man instantiy slipped into the hall aud handed her a letter , which he requested she would gire to the mistress of the house . She asked him where
he had come from , and he replied , " It ' s all right . " She told him she did not think so , and that he must have come to the wrong place , but his only reply was as before . Sho again asked him who he had brought it from , upon whicli he got up close to her , and in a menacing and commanding tone said , " Do you choose to take it to the lady of t he house ? If you don't , I'll shoot you . " The man at die same instant put his hand towards his trousers pocket , and drew out somediing which she believed to be a pistol , and which she subsequently saw to be oue . At this time Mrs . Hamblin came iuto the hall , and witness handed her the letter , with which she retired into the dxi wing-room , leaving witness still standing at the bottom of the stairs with the man . While she was thus situated she ( witness ) saw that the man held a pistol in one hand and a dirk or dagger in the other . Soon after Mrs .
Hamblin had entered the drawing-room , Mr . Phillips , her brother , came to the hall , and addressing the man , said , " We live in a free country , and what ri ght have you to come and demand money ? " The prisoner made some answer to Uiis which she ( witness ) did not recollect , but she heard him say to Mr . Phillips , "If I have £ 10 I'll leave quictty . " Mr . Phillips told Mrs . Hamblin what the man had said about the £ 10 , and the latter replied that she did not know she had £ 10 . Mrs . Hamblin went up stairs , and Mr . Phillips immediatel y after gave the man a £ 10 note . Mr . Phillips was following the roan to the door , when the latter told him that if he attempted to follow him , he would blow his brains out . Mrs . Hamblin corroborated the above evidence , and on being questioned as to the contents of the letter ( which was in the hands o f the police ) , said it was in the following words , or as near so as possible , and addressed " to the lady of the house f—
-Me lady . p m 6 ent hy a gentleman to demand jour nioaey , which if jOU don't deliver immediately , I have twelve men outside who will plunder the house , and your nf i be put in great danger . " Mrs . Hamblin then proceeded to say , that upon taking
Guildhall. Moxdar.—Wisdow Ubeakixo. — El...
the letter she went into a room in . which her husband has been ly ing for several months from an attack of paralysis , and calling her brother , Mr . Phillips , on one side , read to bim the contents of the letter , and Mr . Phillips went down to the man , Wituess at this time got out at the back way , and requested the servant of her next-door neighbour to go at once and bring a policeman . On returning into the h ouse , her brother told her that the man had offered to go out quietly , provided £ 10 was given to him . She replied she did not know whether she hud £ 10 , but she should go and see , and if she had she should _givi it . She was then about to go out by the back door , when the man placed his hand upon it and said , "You don ' t pass here . " She then went into tho drawing room , and was about to get out of the window the back way , wheu the man who was
then outside presented a pistol at he- * , and she desisted , Immediately afterwards she heard the man exclaim . ' " Is that lady coming ? two minutes more is the utmost I can give . " Mr . Phillips then came to her , said he had a £ 10 note in his pocket , and asked if he should gire it to the man . She gave her immediate consent . Mr . Phillips gave the note to the man and he left the house .. The female prisoner said she got tbe £ 10 note from her husband on the nig ht of Saturday week , and changed it at the pawnbroker's on the Monday . Her husband wns a bricklayer , and worked at Uxbrid ge , but whom for she did not know . _I'he male prisoner contented himself by saying that he knew nothing about what he was charged with . Mr . Henry , in remanding both for a week ; remarked that the robbery was one ofthe most daring and impudent he had beard of for some considerable time .
Great Banquet In Favour Of A Ten Hours'b...
GREAT BANQUET IN FAVOUR OF A TEN HOURS'BILL . On Saturday evening , the operative spinners had a public dinner in the Hall of Science , Camp Field , as a demonstration in favour of a Ten Hours' Bill . There were upwards of 600 persons present , and amongst the invited guests were Mr . John Fiolden , M . P . tor Oldham , Mr . Feargus O'Connor , and Dr . John Watts . The room was tastefully decorated with evergreens , and hung round with placards , on which were printed , in large characters , the following , amongst other mottos and sentiments : — "Live and let live ; " " Lord Ashley's three majorities against Ministers in 1844 ; " " More time for rest , mental improvement , aud religious exercise ; " " Manufacturers , lessen the hours of labour , aud thus add to the domestic comfort of your workpeople ; " , 4 The clergy of all denominations who support the _^ Ten Hours ' Bill . " A band of musicians were stationed in the gallery , opposite the proscenium , on which the chairman ' s table was placed . The chair was occupied by Edward Worsley , an operative spinner . After the dinner .
The Chairman rose and said , the present meeting had been got up that they might express tlieir sentiments on the great object they had in view , namely , the Ten , Hour's Bill . The question hadbeen agitated forthe last twenty-five or twenty-six years , but there had never before been so bright a prospect before them—never such a prospect of obtaining the measure . ( Hear , hear . ) Successive governments had often been asked to pass a Ten Hours' Bill , but instead of doing so , they had enacted that no child under thirteen years of age should work above six hours and a half per day , and this was an enactment which neither masters nor operatives desired to see pa * sed . This relay system , as it was termed , had been the cause of loss to both employer and employed , because mills had frequently been compelled to stop
through want of hands most essential to spinners , that was , hands under thirteen years of age . Both mastersand operatives were convinced ofthe disadvantages of this system , and he believed that masters would not on that account oppose the Ten Hours' Bill at the present time , thougli he had no authority from them to say so . In his opinion an efficient Ten Hours' Bill , with a restriction upon the moving power , would be beneficial for both masters and operatives . ( Cheers . ) Since the relay system had commenced , some manufacturers had commenced working eleven hours a day , with benefit both to themselves and their workpeople , and that was a powerful argument in favour of this cause . Then a considerable body of persons in Manchester had got a half-holiday , and the press had assisted them to obtain it ; and certainly , if it was essential for them to work a less number of hours in the week , it was essential for the factory
operatives to do the same . ( Hear , hear , and loud cheers . ) Then manufacturers had subscribed , and government had granted money , for public parks and walks for the benefit of health ; the press assisted in accomplishing that object also ; and that led hira to think that there was a growing feeling in favour of shortening the hours of labour ; for , if factory operatives were to continue to work twelve hours a day , those parks and walks would be of no benefit to them , and their having been asked to subscribe would be a mere mockery . ( Hear , hear . ) If the press would only do as much for the factory operatives as it had done for other parties , he had no doubt they should attain their object . ( Applause . ) After requesting that the different "speakers would confine themselves to the question on which they were met , he ooneluded by proposing " The health of the Queen . " Some other loyal toasts were then given , after
which—William Arrowsmitb , secretary to tho Spinners ' Union , read letters which had been received from Mr . Thomas Duncombe , M . P ., Mr . llichard Oastler , Mr . W . B . Ferrand , M . P ., and Mr . Sharman Crawford , M . P ., to whom invitations had been sent , but who were unable to be present . The Chairman then proposed the following senti ment , "May the factory workers be united in one firm bond of union , and never relax their exertions until the Ten Hours' Bill becomes the law of the land . " ( Applause . ) Mr . Mosley , spinner , said : —Mr . Chairman , — -It is with feelings of great pleasure I rise to respond to the toast announced from the chair , because it appears to contain a principle vitally interesting to the factory workers . Being one myself , it is a sentiment
peculiarly gratifying to my feelings . It is a well known fact , that the working classes have been often taunted with being ignorant ; so much so that they are said to be totally unfit to exercise the least control over those who make the laws by which this country is governed ; and if the working classes generally ave so ignorant , how can the factory workers be expected to be etherwise , who have to work longer , and have , in consequence , less time for instruction ? It is our bounden duty , then , to use every exertion to obtain the Ten Hours' Bill , in order that we may have time to enlighten our minds , so that we may understand and perform our duties as good husbands and fathers , and set an example to our children worthy of imitation . When we have become enlightened , we shall probably ask how it is , notwithstanding tlie vast
increase in the powers of production , that , according to the statement of Sir James Graham , one-tenth of the population are in a state of pauperism ? We shall most likely ask ourselves the reason of our continuing to work long hours , when it has been admitted that the wants of the country can be supplied with six or eight hours' labour a-day . We shall then begin to inquire what is meant by the law oi primogeniture and entail , by which the land of this country is monopolized by a few aristocratic families . We shall then make ourselves acquainted with the laws and institutions of our country , so that we may respect all good laws ; and , on the other hand , be able to bring the whole moral power of an enlightened public opinion to bear upon all bad laws , and remove them from the statute book for ever . I heartily respond to the sentiment proposed from the chair .
The Chairman said : Now , gentlemen , I have the pleasure of introducing to your notice one of the most able and consistent advocates of our cause out of the House of Commons , Feargus O'Connor , Esq . The instant the Chairman made the announcement every individual in the body of the hall rose at once , and the cheering and waving of hats lasted for a considerable time , while the handkerchiefs of the fair sex in the galleries waved gracefully , and bore testimony of the affection entertained in that quarter for Mr . O'Connor . As soon as the applause had subsided , he said : —
Mr . Chairman and kind friends , —To . what am I to attribute this cordial , this flattering , this more than enthusiastic reception ? Is it that yon know me better than when you despised my co-operation , or that you stand more in need of my assistance now ? or is it because you have ever found me brave , consistent , and zealous as labour ' s advocate ? ( Cheers . ) It was not with you I commenced labour ' s battle ; it was with the " fustian jackets , the blistered hands , and tlie unshorn chins . " ( Cheers . ) And have you at length discovered that the sword that pierced the sides of the handloom-weavers has reached your bodies ? ( Cheers . ) But , sir , whatever has elicited this boundless applause , I am happy , most happy , to meet the champions of labour of all classes , creeds , and politics upon this neutral ground , where
"domestic comfort , " that motto upon one of your placards , is to be the subject of discussion . ( Cheers . ) What but that have I been contending for , and struggling for , all my life ? ( Cheers . ) I agree with the last respectable speaker as to the uses to which the frefits upon increased machinery should be applied _, object to all that should be national going into one protected channel . ( Cheers . ) But , sir , I have more honourable cause of quarrel with the system than even the excessive toil it imposes . I quarrel with the e / _tects of that toil made manifest in you , sir . ( Loud c . heers . ) Yes , sir , when I see you , with a freeman '• a head and a slave's body —( loud cheers )—
when I jttVl that nature intended you for a philosopher , and . find that you are made a _cripple—( great sensation }—t . Oen , sir , I must be pardoned if my feelings carry me _^ _lefond the bounds of mere argument . ( Cheers . ) I fixi _* ti > er object to a , system which stops the current o . _f humanity in the hearts of philanthropists . We nave now upon the platform a gentleman whom _nai't" _"* sent as a picture of her proudest work , as an ho _ r < man , into the world ; but whom the system has con _gelled to bc a thief amongst thieves . We have Mr . i _Leiden , with his venerable grey hairs and venerated ol . * _i principles . ( Loud and continued cheering . ) Yes , sn * » ne is not a mere theorist ; he was ready , not Wily to preach , but to
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practice ; he tried ten hours ' labour , and society drove him from this moral position ; as he could not live and compete against the abominations ot system ( cheers)—but he is here to-night , standing out boldly from his order to proclaim the workman s title to Ins share of national wealth —( great cheering)—and , while he is here , I may take tlie opportunity ol charging him as the author of all my misfortunes . When I came from my own country , fresh caught from thc mountains—( cheers and laughter)—I could not be supposed to understand much of an English operative ' s life , while I was strongly imbued with national prejudices against England and everything English . I had not learned how to discriminate between the English people and their oppressors then , but I have now—( cheers)—and who first opened my eyes to the sufferings of the English people ? Why , John Fielden . ( Cheering . ) In his celebrated while
speech in the House of Commons , wherein , Malthusiaus were boasting of your independence , he proved your slavery and poverty from documentary and statistical evidence which statesmen denied , but never have yet refuted —( cheers)—lie set me thinking , thought set me acting : I came to the manufacturing districts ; I saw that he had not exaggerated the picture of your sufferings , and 1 vowed that eternal hostility to the whole system which has since cost me so many pounds of money , and so many trials and hours of suffering and anguish ; but I look ; upon this night ' s balm as more than recompense for all , ( Tremendous applause . ) I have had many differences with Mr . Fielden , but I have never altered my opinion as to his humanity . ( Cheers . ) In 1839 , when we hoped that labour ' s cause was strong , I attached paramount importance to lessening the hours of labour , and Fielden , being then , as he is now , the champion , I said of him , that he found you poor till
" Greatly rising in his country ' s right Her hero , her deliverer , sprung to light ; A race of hardy northern sons he led , Guiltless of courts untainted and unfed , Whose inborn spirit spurned the ignoble fee ; Their hearts scorned ' bondage for their hands were free . " ( Loud cheers . ) Why did I entertain this opinion of him ? Because I heard him in that house , where aristocratic blood is the best recommendation , pleading the cause of the infant from what , as an infant factory worker , he had experienced himself—( great applause)—and , aristocratic as I was , I honoured him who was the _architect of his own fortune , and who had the pride and manliness to admit it , amid titled foolsmore than my Lord Stanley and his class , who
, are born with golden spoons in their mouths . ( Loud cheers . ) I was sorry to hear your respected Chairman enter upon the question of infant labour as a mere abstract question . ( Hear , hear . ) I protest against infants under thirteen years of age working at nil —( loud cheers)—at all events at such labour as is calculated to twist their gvissel into deformities , and deprive their young minds of those early impressions which they ought to receive , and which ought to be the foundation of that knowledge to make them pass respectably through life . ( Cheers . ) Would Peel , would Russell , would any who could prevent it , allow their children under thirteen years of age to work six and a half hours a day at factory labour ? ( Cheers and no . ) Then why should you ? ( Renewed
cheering . ) Are not your children as dear to you —( cheers ) —aye and dearer ? if you were allowed the legitimate training and management of them in youth , and their dutiful support and comfort in old age . ( Cheers . ) But they'll work you , and exercise you , and give you mental recreation . ( Laughter . ) I have no confidence in the theorists who would give you parks to expose your crippled limbs in —( cheers)—but they are right to keep you from the light of day . I have no respect for those who would toil you all the week and wash you on Saturday night . ( Great cheers and laughter . ) Ihave no confidence in those who would fain improve your minds , but so weaken your bodies as to impair your intellects . ( Cheers . ) Working men , 1 am for every man having his own
park to walk in—( tremendous applause );—I am for every man being his own washer-woman —( cheers and laughter)—I am for every manhaving bookaof his own , and time to read them —( cheers )—and that ' s the reason why I agree with Mr . Mosley when he says , " That , if you are ignorant now , your ignorance is a charge upon those who deprive you of the means of instruction . " ( Cheers . ) You don't know yourselves what it is that is fighting labour ' s battle . It is their gas , steam navigation , railroads , the printing press , the penny stamp upon newspapers , the penny postage , and all those improvements which are national property , but wliich by bad _legislation—( tremendous cheering)—have been converted to mere class gain . ( Hissing . ) If political economists will measure
their philanthropy and your condition by landlord tyranny and agricultural wages , they must consent to hear argument on both sides of the question . You are to the agricultural labourers precisely what the race-horse is to the slow and sleek waggon-horse . ( Cheers , and hear , hear . ) Your life is one continuous " blood-run , " and you ought to be remunerated accordingly . ( Cheers . ) Who ever heard of a race horse being sound and supple , at ten years of age , or able to run well at seven ? ( Cheers . ) No one . , He has been ** used up "— worked out in youth . But how often will you see a steady old plough-horse , or a waggon-horse , in spirits , heart , and flesh , at twenty-five or thirty . ( Cheers . ) Then what I contend for is , that if , like the race-horse , _yoirgive your
whole life ' s blood in a few years , that , during those few years , you should not only have as much as the dull husbandman ean earn through the whole of life , but that you shall also have wherewithal to make the remainder of your days happy , without labour , upon a better provision than the tender mercies of a "Poor Law" bastile . ( Great cheering . ) Who ever saw a cotton spinner of eighty-tour working ? while I have now working for me men of that age , who are the ninth generation ; that have worked for nine generations of my family . ( Cheers . ) Their life is more calm—their deatli will be more easy—than that of the artificial slave . ( Cheers . ) I tell you what I recognise as the two great elements that you should contend _for—bestricmon and distribution . ( Cheers ,
and " that ' s it I" ) Reducing the hours of labour is the only legitimate mode of restriction . ( Cheers . ) Ic is neither legitimate , just , nor humane , that you should be compelled to give your heart ' s blood to system , and then , out of your poor pittance , to __ ward off competition by supporting system-made idlers . ( Great cheering . ) 600 men are to 500 precisely what twelve hours are to ten —( cheers )—and , by the Ten Hours' Bill , there would bo employment for GOO , where there is now only employment for 500 . ( Cheers . ) And is this not necessary , nay indispensible , when the hell-born Secretary of State told us that one in every ten of your order were receiving parish relief , and living a pauper ' s life in merry England . ( Cheers and laughter . ) In Sheffield .
many trades had reduced their hours of _labour to eight . ( Cheers . ) Aye , and quite enough , too . ( Cheers . ) He was for good King Alfred ' s division eight hours for work , eight for rest , and eight for recreation . ( Loud cheering . ) The Sheffield men soon brought the Home Secretary ' s paupers into requisition , and there was no fall of wages ; they literally got more for eight hours than for twelve . ( Cheers . ) Oh , he wanted these two hours for study and thought , very much ; it would soon lead to philosophy and knowledge , and good government would be the result . ( Loud and long-continued cheering . )
He objected to any man being called upon to pay a farthing to ward off the abuses and blows of system * , it was actually a tax upon industry and kindly feeling . ( Cheers . ) He had no respect for the drones that would preach food and starve the bees in the midst of their own honey . ( Cheers . ) He had no respect for those who would create misery , and then sympathise with the unfortunates . ( Cheers . ) Sympathy was no doubt , a very good thing in its way ; but liberty was better . ( Cheers . ) ThoBe who had assembled there were fighting labour ' s battle most gloriously , and let him remind them , that labour ' _s battle was freedom's battle —( great cheers )—and
" Labours' battle once begun , Bequeathed from bleeding sire to son , Though baffled oft is ever won . " ( Tremendous applause . ) He would now explain what he meant oy distribution . He would suppose a master cotton-spinner to commence business with _£ 100 , 000 , and to realize £ 1 , 000 , 000 in any number of years . What he considered equitable distribution of the proceeds , and , to which no master could well object , was this , " That if the master had augmented his £ 100 , 000 to half a million , and made £ 400 , 000 profit , those whose labour had realized it should have the other half million . ( Great cheering . ) Then , if 100 men had been engaged in amassing this fortune , the master would have £ 500 ,
000—a very nice retiring salary —( cheers)—and tbe bees would have £ 5 , 000 each ; if 200 were engaged , they would have £ 2 , 500 each ; if 400 , they would have £ 1 , 250 ; a fair , but not an over , remuneration , and a better retiring salary than a kick and " I have done with you ; go , slave , and make another tyrant ' s fortune , or take shelter in thc bastile . " ( Uproarious applause . ) That ' s what I call not equitable distribution , as thc bees would not have their share ; but it is better than labour share at present . Now I only ask comparative improvement for your order . 1 ask , that if tlie Queen is not satisfied with the palace her ancestors lived in ; if the master is notsaiisfied with the cottage his forefathers occupied ; if the banker is not satisfied with the mansion his sires lived and amassed wealth in , that you , who have produced all that has led te those aspirations should not be removed from
the cottage to the cellar- but that you , too , should be elevated bv the same graduated sliding scale . ( Great applause . ) See what a struggle labour , now ' makin _' the acquisition of its just share of national wealth , and see what advocates it has got I was delighted to hear the response you gave to the letter of your champion , King Richard . ( Loud cheers . ) lie is a man who , I believe , would die on the floor of the House rather than abandon the position he had gained for labour ; and if you are sincere in your professions , and mean to be true to vourselves , one of your principle objects should be to " place Richard Oastler m Parliament to fight your battle . ( Great cheering and waving of hats . ) 1 will now call your attention to me of those anomalies which put society out of joint . Moro is produced but
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fewer hands are . required ,, in the . production , therefore more profit is _pocketedby the employer of the fewer number of hands . For instance , one man upon the platform worked one wheel ten years ago , now he works four , and receives ten shillings a-week less for the fourfold labour . ( Cheers , and "Its true , " ) Another person on the platform worked two wheels six years ago , and now works six , but receives no more wages . (" True . " ) Well , then , who pocketed the additional profit f or is this not the most dangerous and injurious competition ?—( cheers ) —far more dangerous than the cows afar on with long horns . ( Great cheering . ) He asked this question , and one day it must be answered . How happens it that those with political power have amassed fortunes , while those who make the fortunes for them are not able to bear one week ' s idleness , or to stand one season ' s scarcity ? ( Cheers . ) I ask hit ha s that a system is tole rated which lt _£ i — . _.... - _.,., ___„ _,. _ w ____ .
ow ppen HOW J . b __ , _pv . _ . -. » ., , _„ enables some to live a life of idleness , A long life upon thc profits of the three last years roaring trade , while others are compelled to petition for the means of preserving a mere existence . ( Cheers . ) He would say of Lord Ashley , that he was glad to find his name so honoured ; and he only trusted that he would reap his reward in the blessings of the future he was endeavouring to create . ( Cheers . ) Of the glorious champion , King Richard—( loud cheers for Oastler)—he would say that he was delighted to hear the way his letter was received , and if the committee took liis ( Mr . O'Connor ' s ) advice , he would recommend them to strain every nerve to put their cock in that-fit where he could best fight _lal —
_» U » . uv .. _ bout ' s battle—in the House of Commons . ( Tremendous applause . ) He asserted , without fear of contradiction , that Oastler would die upon the floor of the House rather than yield an inch of the position labour had achieved to labour ' s oppressors . ( Loud cheers . ) He had now shown them that they were race horses , and as such they should put on speed to win the race . Russell was pled g ed to a Ten Hours' Bill , but then he was on the promise side of the liouse —( laughter and cheers)—now he was for a bit at the performance side , and let them test his promise . ( Cheers . ) Where is the hale and healthy spinner , who has worked for seventy years , as you find agricultural labourers , ah ?
Rari apparent nantes in gurgite vasto . Few appear swimming on the vast deep . ( Cheers ) . He looked upon the shortening of the hours of labour as the right arm and best leg of tue thing he nad spent his best days in working fur , but which just now should be nameless . ( A tremendous burst of applause . ) Mr . O'Connor then drew a brief picture of the difference between the slave who worked for another , and the freeman who works for himself . The one , he said , works according to his strength ; the other , according to his wants ; which the largest amount of labour cannot more than cover . The one has something of his own to love , the other has everything to hate . The one lies down , if sick , in his own bed . surrounded by his own family , the other takes
shelter in » Poor-Law bastile , ahd is thrown upon tlie tender mercies of one who considers the labour of attendance a task of labour , not the labour of love . ( Loud cheers . ) The . one pockets every farthing ofhis own earnings , the other humbly takes what the lion pleases to offer . ( Loud cheers . ) The one enjoys life ; while the other prolongs a wretched existence , through a life of misery . ( Cheers . ) _Mind if you have £ 2 a-week , and if fiction raises the price of every article of life , you are , after all , but comparatively less miserable than your less fortunate neighbours , while I seek and demand positive , not comparative comfort , for those who live by the sweat of tlieir own brow . ( Loud cheers . ) I have no confidence in those who would starve you , and then
preach the blessings of abundance . ( Great cheering . ) I have no respect for those who create misery , and then sympathise with the unfortunate . ( Cheers . ) I have no repect for those whose theory is justice , but whose practise is tyranny . ( Loud cheers . ) But , in conclusion , I have confidence in what I now see around me ; I have confidence in the rising genius of liberty —( cheers)—and in the growing aspirations for liberty . ( Loud cheers . ) I have confidence in that self-esteem and that self-reliance of which I see so strong an illustration before me . I have reliance upon your own order , and I feel convinced and assured , that the attainment of that knowledge which
two hours' additional time for education would give , would finally realise all nay fondest hopes of protection for the benefit you had achieved , ( Great cheering . ) When you have time to think , you will love me better —( great cheering)—because you will then UNDERSTAND MY MOTIVES BETTER . ( CheerS . ) But I must be social on this neutral ground , and , therefore , conclude by tendering you a continuation of my best exertions on behalf of your just and noble principle , observing that—there has been a dark cloud o'er the destinies of your country , but in the distant horizon 1 see the dm shadow of liberty , and my heart
gladdens—In my ecstacy , Iexclaim , " Can it be V And a voice responds , " union and libertt !" It would be utterly impossible to give the faintest notion of the manner in which Mr , O'Connor ' s address was received _throughout , or of the applause evinced at the close . The Chairman proposed the " Health and long life to Lord Ashley and his illustrious family . " William _Arrowsmith , as an instance of the devotedness of Lord Ashley in the cause he had espoused , mentioned his refusal of office when the Conversatives canie into power , whereby he had sacrificed emoluments four or five times greater than his own ineome . Mr . JohnTeer responded and said , I regret very much that I have not the ability to do full justice to
his lordship s character , lhe conspicuous" part whicli that amiable nobleman has taken in furtherance of the Ten Hours' Bill reflected the highest credit upon him . He was ever foremost iu advocating every measure which had for its object the amelioration of the lot of the toiling millions . In the Commons House of Parliament he stands the brilliant and powerful advocate of the rights of the factory children , and his mode of advocacy was always successful . I am glad to find that so _§ reat a number have attended here this evening . It is by meetings like this that public opinion will become concentrated relative to a reduction in the hours of your labour . I am happy to find that there is amongst the working classes an evident augmentation of
intelligence ; that there we many amongst them who , notwithstanding their long hours of labour , have found a little time to acquire solid knowledge . I hope that this disposition for mental improvement will go on progressing until the working classes shall have acquired that amount of enlightenment which will be the best weapon they can wield for improving their moral , social , and physical condition . I am glad to find such men amongst you as the first speaker , Thos . Mosley ; he is an ornament to your body—he has nobly advocated the cause this evening . I hope , however , that no undue advantage will be taken of him for having honestly and energetically expressed his sentiments here . I say this , because I hear that some men have been sacrificed for having
pleaded the cause of the factory children at a meeting on this question , which was held a fortnight ago , at the Corn Exchange . Three men , who were zealous in this cause , and bold enough to stand on the platform and avow their _^ sentiments on that occasion , have , since that meeting been sacrificed ; they have been discharged , they are now destitute of employment , and I fear that their discharge has arisen from their connexion with the Ten Hours' Bill question . This shows with what alacrity we should aid and assist such noble minded men as Feargus O'Connor , Esq ., John Fielden , Esq ., M . P ., and all the other talented advocates of this important measure . There is
nothing can prevent you from obtaining a legislative enactment for a curtailment in the hours of your labour , except your own apathy . The mill owners may tell us that they could not compete with foreigners if this measure were carried into operation , but this is a false argument , they could do . Tliey may tell us that we should not work less hours than the workmen in America , but I believe we work longer hours than tbe Americans , and even if we did not , we are justified in setting the example of working short hours to all other nations . I hope , in conclusion , that Lord Ashley and the friends of the Ten Hours' Bill will soon have the happiness of congratulating each otlier on the passing of this humane and benevolent measure .
The Chairman next gave , " The health of John Fielden , Esq ., M . P . ; Charles Hindley , Esq ., M . P . ; and all our friends in parliament . " Mr . Fielden , on rising to respond , was received with repeated cheers . He said he should have preferred the meeting without the dinner , because the imposing of a tax of ls . 6 d . per head upon every individual coming there had made the meeting , in his opinion , less numerous than it otherwise would have been . ( " Hear , hear , " and ' * True . " ) There were very many persons who worked in factories , and who felt a deep interest in the passing of a Ten Hours ' Bill , who were unable to pay ls . Cd . in order toattend a meeting like the present , and it was but right that they should have an opportunity of showing that they were in favour of such a measure . In 1844 this cause was so important , that Sir Robert Peel and Sir James Graham declared that if Parliament passed the bill of Lord Ashley they would retire into private life . _ _w .. .. . _v-.. _^ . , uw ri _AbC inc . ( Hear ) the
. Why , y were gone into private life—( "hear , hear , " and laughter ) , —and the Ten Hours ' Bill would be obtained if the factory operatives would only persevere , He had said in the House of Commons , and he repeated it now , that to labour ten hours a day was too long ; and he regretted , exceedingly , to hear the chairman say that he wanted a Ten Hours' Bill for both children and adults . He ( Mr . Fielden ) did not want it . __ _f Hear , hear . ) They had got a six hours' bill for children , and he did not want to go back to ten , because he believed that six hours a day in a factory was labour enough for an adult , ( " Hear , hear , " and applause . ) He was quite satisfied that , with the increased power of production which this country had accomplished within the last forty years , and with our capabilities of increasing it to an almost indefinite extent , as much could be produced by working three hours a day as would be necessary to supply the wants of the world , ( Hear . ) Why then should they want to bring children back from sii houro a day ? The object should be to reduce _thebeurs of labour of adults from twelve to six .
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( Hear , hear . ) He should be charged _wUu _^*? that which was impossible , but he Iu ? skil > _' ' k which was right ; and succeed or not hT » r th to sow the seed and let it take root _Vn _, i ? llU < _iuu doubt that if tliey persevered they Jiff _^ » years , not only get a reduction to ten I ,, P * k * hours a day . But they were asking _^ tor aiV _,, _* Bill , and he was glad that they \ vei _* _P LV l m 4 have it * _. but let it be a Te / _fflftfiN I above thirteen years ot age . Do not brW tor thirteen years up to ten hours a dar _fiiT 0 Se _^ K ""Could any man who was wort , " ' th _» ' _W ) Englishman , declare , in the face of i * a le of that human beings ought to _woi-1- cou « trv ten hours a day in a factory ? n „ i n „" iore than meeting knew also , that twelve _hem-gnS ' ' "Il the in a factory was destructive of life an , i u , _v" ' _^ ut __ . _ ,, _¦ ,. ____ _,, _ _. i _» _ ,. ___„ ... _ , _ ... _; _"p _^ --- _^
_tection ot wnicii ought to be the first _ . _« , *; T " Pro . the legislature . He advised the _meetiSj _^^ of Lord John Russell ' s return to office fn . i 5 uPPort colleagues , from the part they too _£ n „ ftml his Robert Peel ' s government on tlie 0 nn _^ ° sinS Sir pledged to a Ten Hours' Bill . nZ .. h e „ " •« . were reading some extracts from a speech * bl 1 ' ' >* Russell , in order to convince the _meetim , _» Jo , 1 « was ground for hope that a liberal gove _ru _* t ! le ' _" e carry the measure , Mr . Fielden said the _n _"' ' _'if wished to put to the meeting was —w » , **""* » e cerely desirous that the legislature _shnnu ¦ % sin-Hours' Bill , regardless of the effect it P ? » Tea upon wages ? ( "Yes , yes , " ) He _ml !» _^ as being the sentiment of the _mulesDmnpil , tllat acting minders of Manchester ? ( " V » ,. " Sl * h ' - woulddoso . ( Applause . ) ' " _---eiilu . Mr . Johnson was called upon to speak to _ v timent He said-Mr . Chaii _* ma . i ? S \ IZ _**' pressed by this meeting , on hearine the Sii _» . _T
romour _. e ovea uastler , stating that it wouliT impossible tor him to be with us this evoni 2 t 5 more sincerely felt by any one present than b _™ v " _, _? There was another regret expressed by Mr W , that this hall wasnot morecrowded thanitw _^ iM ' me to tell Mr . Fielden , that this is 1 " a _iffi- * meeting , but a private trade festival As one W preceding speakers said , we want the Ten lLS Bill in order to make certain inquiries wl , ! ,. i , i enumerated . Thereare _othwoB _^^ SJi wb . ' _? h will engage our attention Mi * Pol ,, ' ,.,, told us that the Duke _f . Smond _itttl _^ average intellect , and a fair sample of his order and that this duke is , n every respect , asmScXbhTl man as he w . ud gwe 30 s . per week to , leSmhi ! hearers to infer that he wan not _avery _wUemSS or he woud notpppo _^ _tlie repeal of the Corn _LM-s Mr . _Helden tells us that , m the years 1826 and IS ? : the Americans , with the proceeds of 300 lbs « r
cotton , couia purchase only 344 yards of domestic or stout cloth . But , in 183 a , they could purchase for the same cotton , 504 yards , being an advance of sixty-four per cent . Now , for ourwanutacturcrs _ta do this , we know that we must either work harder or work for Jess wages ; and we want the Ten Hours ' Bill to give us time to inquire into the wisdom of such proceedings , and whether the extension of trade is for our benefit or no . Therefore , it is that the b est thanks are due to _Messrs . Oastler and Wood of Bradford , from the operative _factory-workers ' _ibr their exertions in endeavouring to obtain an _efficiprrf Ten Hours' Bill . m
The Chairman proposed , " May commerce flourish and manufactures prosper , and labour meet its reward , " Dr . J . Watts being called upon to respond said Mr . Chairman , ladies and gentlemen , 1 rejoice to see such meetings as this , they afford aa opportunity for advocating the cause of humanity , and the object wliich this meeting is seeking to attain is purely a humane object all parties can join in promoting . I have often been amused , in going through a cottonmill , in viewing and examining the complicated machinery , and how every crank , lever , and pulley _woife harmoniously together . I observed that great care
was taken in protecting that machinery ; that itwas not over-worked ; that nothing was done to impair it ; that the machines did not do too much work , whether they were self-actors , double deckers , or any other sort of machines . If the iron or wood of which they were made goes wrong , or suffers deterioration , the loss falls upon the employer , and , therefore , he has a direct interest in preserving them . If a thread breaks it is immediately pieced . The inanimate part is strictly attended to ; but , I regret to add , that it is not so with the Jive part . If an arm or a leg gets injured , _^ or destroyed , it can readily be dispensed with , for there are plenty of others waiting to supply their place . There was every protection forthe iron and wood , but none for the flesh and bones of the
factory operatives . The speaker here entered into the disadvantages under which mill-hands laboured , who worked twelve hours a-day , and showed the impossibility of their moral and physical advancement under the present system . The men who were most forward in promoting the half-day holiday , were unwilling to co-operate for a reduction in ihe hours of labour , yet the factory-workers required this reduction more than they . Some of those who advocate a repeal of the Corn Laws are against the Ten Hours ' Bill . I consider both measuresgood , and both parties might consistently join to obtain them . I am a member of the Mechanics' Institution , and also of the Atheneum ; but I have not had a book out ol either places during the last six months . I have but little time for reading , and if this be the case with
me , how much more so must it be with those employed in cotton-mills . The speaker hero forcibly described the influence of the factory system upon the female character , and especially upon those who had children , and , alter a few more appropriate observations , concluded amidst great cheering . Several other toasts were proposed and responded to , when the room was prepared for dancing , wliich was kept up , under excellent arrangement , until it was time for the mirthful group once more to don the slave ' s apparel , to spin , that others may make the rule , what , with them , was but the exception , a night festivity . Nothing could give greater satisfaction , or go off better , than the whole proceedings .
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Chartist Co-Opi&Ratrve L Andsooieti, Mee...
CHARTIST CO-OPi & RATrVE L ANDSOOIETI , Meetings for the purpose of enrolling members and transacting other business connected therewith are held every week on the following days and places :-BUNDAT EVENING . South London Chartist Hall , 115 , Blackfrlan-road , _xt half-past six o ' clock . —City Chartist Hall , 1 , Turn * again-lane , at six o ' clock . —Westminster : at the Partnenium Club Rooms , 72 , St . Martin ' s-lane , at hallpast seven . —Somers Toivn : at Mr . Duddrego ' s , Bricklayers'Arms , _Tonbridge-sfareet , New-road , at half-pad seven—Tower Hamlets : atthe Whittington and Cat , Church-vow , Bethnal-green , at six o ' clock precisely . —Emmett ' s Brigade : at the Rock Tavern , Lissongrove , at eight o ' clock precisely—Marylebone ; at . !*? _Coacli Painters' Arms , Gi _^ _cus-street , at half-pas _Bevtn .
MONDAT EVENING . _Csmberwell : atthe Montpelier Tavern , Walworth , at eight o ' clock precisely _.
TUKSDAT _EVEN'IXG . Gr * inwich : s . t the GeorgeandDragon , _Blaskhiathhill , at eight o ' clock . Pimlico . —Mr . Gimblett will attend the King's Arms , Upper Ebury-street , for a similar purpose at the same hour . Hammersmith . —A Meeting will be held at tlie Dunn Cow , Brook Green-lane , on Tuesday evening next , at eight precisely . Chartist Hall , 1 , Tubxagaw-laxe . — The public discussion will be resumed , at half-past ten o ' clock precisely , on Sunday morninjr next . December 23 th .
In the afternoon , at three precisely , the Metropolitan District Council will meet for the dispatch of business . A full attendance of delegates is requested at the pie * sent crisis . In the evening , at seven o ' cloek precisely , Mr . Thomas Cooper ( the Chartist poet ) mil deliver the ninth and last of his second course ot lectures . Subject— "Discoveries , life , and character , of Sir Isaac Newton . " Marvlbbone . —On Sunday evening next , December 28 th , at seven o ' clock , Mr . Alfred Hunnibell . will deliver a public lecture "On the adv antages _arising from National Trades' Unions , " atthe Coach _Painters Arms , Circus-street . att h
Cm-of London Mr . Robson will attend e Bell Inn , Old Bailey , on Sunday evening next , _December the 28 th , at seven o ' clock , to explain tne objects and enrol members in the National Umtea Trades Association for the Employment of Labour . North West of London . —Mr . John Storey wilt attend at the King and Q _, ueen , corner of _Clevelandstreet , Fitzroy-square , at the same hour for a uR * purpose . _Wsstmisisteb . —The secretaries will , for tlie fiitm _* _. be ready to enrol members in the Chartist Co-operative Land Society , or in the National C harter A 5 ' sociation , at the Parthenium , 12 , St . Martin ' s-lane , every Sunday evening from seven until nine o ' cloch . precisely . . . Camberwell and Walworth . —A meeting will be held at thc Montpelier Tavern , Walworth , on Monday evening next , December 29 th , at eight o clock . precisel .
y _Martlebone Locality . — An harmenio _meAiK will take place on Monday evening , Deceniber Z otn . at the Coach Painters' Arms , Circus-street , _^ |'"' road , to commence at eight o ' clock precisely , , A _Democbatic Soppeb , in honour of the birth-day _« Thomas Paine , will be held at the George and Dragon Inn , Blackheath-hill , on Monday , January 26 th , W " Tickets to be had of the following persons—Mr . Wheeler , 7 , _Crown-court , Dean-street , Oxford-street ; Mr . JuU »" Itarn _« y , Northern Star office , 16 , Great Windmill-s tree i Haymarket ; Mr . Morgan , 39 , ButCher-lW _, Dep _tfow ' and ai the George and Dragon , Blacklieath-hill . _
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street , Haymarket , in the City of Westathi r _«• ' " Office in the same Street and Parish , for the rr _»* prietor _, FEARGUS O'CONNOR , Esq ., aud _publish ">>>> Wixham Hewitt , of No . 18 , Charles-street , Brariao " stree t , Walworth , in the Parish of St . Mary , N ««' » ton , inthe County ef Surrey , at the Office , _fto- _'" ' Strand , in the Parish of St . _Mary-le-Straud , _» " City of Westminster Saturday December 27 , 1 W 6 .
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Dec. 27, 1845, page 8, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns3_27121845/page/8/
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