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THE NORTHERN STAR SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1842.
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THE POLITICIAN'S TEXT BOOK.
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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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IUAK CHESTER , © BASTD FESTIYAL IN HONOUR OF T . S . DUNCOMBE , ESQ ., M . P ., AND FEARGUS O'CONNOR , ESQ . .. A Tea Party and Ball was held in the Carpenter "! H&ll , Old Garrett-road , Manchester , on Monday evening , in honour of the » boTe illnstrions gentlemen . Six o'clock was the time announced for the tea to be npen tbe table ; bat long before that boar thousands were congregated aroond the doors , anxious to be admitted . Notwithstanding the committee had limited the number of tickets to one thousand , such was the demand for them , and the importunities of the people , that they
were compelled to break thrtugb their original arrange ments , and grant a second issue . The committee bad neither spared trouble nor expence in decorating the room . The platform bad an imposing effect upon the sight ; over the frent of it was erected a msgnificient triumphal arch , In the centre of which was suspended the portrait or T . 8 . Dancombe , Eiq . ' in & splendid rosewood frame , supported on the right by that of P . O'Connor , E ; q ., and on the left by the ever-to-belamenied John Frost , in frames of the same material . Around the Hall ¦ vt- ere many , small banters bearing appropriate mottos . An excellent quadrille band was in attendance , and played several popular airs duriue tea .
About eight o ' clock , Mr . Dancombe , accompanied by Mr . O'Connor , entered the Hall , and here en&ned a scene that iafflea description . The people rose upon their feet from the tables ; moved by one common impulse to do honour to the men who had advocated their cause through good and eTil report Tfee cheering at this moment surpassed anything that \ re ever witnessed before . The waving of hats and handkerchiefs continued for a considerable time ; in fact , it appeared as if the people thought they could not sufficiently stew their gratitude to these nobles of nature , 'who had dose so mBch for the rafft ring sons of ton .
It was with considerable difficulty that they made their way to the platform , npon moHnting which the cbeerine recommenced and lasted for several minutes . Order bt-ing restored , the people commenced consuming the good things set before them ; and , notwithstanding 1500 persona took tea , Bitting down at four different tinim , yet , all was oondncted with the utmost decorum and good order . The people were highly delighted "with the arrangements made by the committee for tbeir comfort , and all were perfectly satisfied with the quantity and quality of the proVisous provided for them . Upon the tea eqnipags being removed , Mr . DixOJf moved that ilr . J . R . Cooper da take the ehair . The motion being seconded and pnt to the meeting , it was carried unanimously .
Mr . Coofek said that he -would not occupy tbeir time by any preliminary remarks , but just observe that on account of the crowded state of the room and the lateness of the hoar , it had been thought advisable to omit a large cumber of sentiments that originally stood npoB the list , reserving only three . Yet there tu one that be could sot dispense with , he would read it and call upon Mr . James Leach to respond to it " The working classes , may they enjoy the freits of their own industry by the speedy abolition of class legislation , and become united , happy , and free . " Mr . Lsach rose amidst loud cheers aad responded to the toast in a speech which did houour both to his head and heart , and retired amid the plaudits of his fellow townsmen . Air by tfee Band— " Scot * whs ha ' . " The Chairmin- said that the nest toast was one which all would bail with delight , it was : —
" Oar Illustrious guests , T . S . D-icconibe , Esq ., and P . O'Onnor , E-, q ., and may they lire to receive the eangratuhvtlo&s of a free and happy people for their disinterested advocacy of their rights . " This was received with tremendous cheering , which was repeated tut several mlnutea . When order was restored , Mr . Duxcbubb said—Ladies and kind Friends , — Tour most PTrtdfrpt Chairman has truly said , if there is anything worth living for , it is to know that we have hooactty done oar duty to oar fellow-man , and in return receive the thanks of a grateful people . The nattering reception that you baTe given to me , an entire stranger amongst you , has so overpowered me , and ' embarrassed my mind , that I feel it a difficult task to return to you
the thanks which you deserva , or to find words adequate to conTdf to you the feelings of my heart on this occasion . But we are not strangers in reality ; for although we r ^ skts at a distance from each ether , yet we hare fought long together against oppression and injusticewe have long been struggling in the same cause . Mr . "Duucombs then said he remembered the honour the -vodtiag classes conferred npon him in the last session of Parliament by entrusting to his care the National Petition—( lead cheers;—and be also remembered the manner that tbavPctiutro was treated by the House of Common *; and the language made use of by -the memben at that House . They had called the cnantsts ipoilators and destructives . Bat he . ( Mr . Dun combe , told them it was a libel on the working men of
England . T ^ at petition told truth concerning your grievance * , aad poitted . out the only remedy—the People ' s Charter . That petition also prayed for your delegates to be heard at the bar of that House . But they durrt net bear you—if they had , yea would hare told such troths as would hare made them ashamed of themselves ; and would bare laid bate to the whole country the grievances you complained of , sad at the sum time the justness of your demands . Mr . Dunccjnbe then commented in severe terms upon the conduct of the members of the House of Commons mpon that occasion . He ( Mi . Dancombe ) thought it would have been time enough to have called them < 3 estruc ' . ives , and to have cavilled about the wording of the petition , when they had heard what yon had to say
upon the subject . He would tell them how that petition was received by the men calling themselves the representative * of the people . When the vote was taken for yon to be heard at the Bar , there were 51 cut of 658 , for your being heard ; and if a proof was wanting to show that the House required reform , this vote fully substantiated the fact , that nothing short of a remodelling of the House of Commons wenld ever benefit this country . He lamented that fatal vote ; he called it a fatal vote ; for if the House of Commons had not come to that vote , the late disturbances would not have taken place . If they had instituted an inquiry into the distress of the country , the people would have bad something to have hoped for ; but by that act they doomed them to despair . Had the House done its duty to
the country at that time , hundreds of families would not at this time have had to lament the death of their natural protectors . The consequence of that neglect was , that the working classes , seeing they had nothing to expect from the House of Commons , struck for an advance of wages , which they" bad a perfect right to do—D 3 y TODT 8 , M the l&W it present sfc&sds , ihejha , * s right to combine together for that purpose it they thought proptz . They also might say to the werkmen of another employer , " you ought not to work for that man Without he will give you a certain amount of -wages " : further than this they cannot go . If they compel others from working against their will , then they fall a prey to the pangs of the law . And if [ tv . d Mr . Dancombe ) what I read at the time was correct , I
have no hesitation in saying that the law has been stretched by certain parties to suit their own purposes . Englishmen have the right to meet , peacefully to discuss their grievances ; and if the assembling « f a few hundred persons outside of the building where the netting is held nukes the meeting illegal , why this may be called an illegal meeting : if that is the law , the House of Commons is often surrounded by a grumbling crowd of people , and therefore their meeting must be illegal . The authorities had no right to Interfere with your delegates , who were peaceably assembled together to do your business : it -was tbeir duty to see tbat the crowd in the street did do violence , fcnt n was Illegal for them to disperse the meeting , that was peacefully doing their business inside of a
building . Bat that is not all I have heard since I came into town of the conduct of the magistrates of this place , remanding men day after day for thirteen days , and in one instance for nineteen days , and then discharging them , having no evidence against them . If this is the way \» wd Mr Duneombe ) that the laws ate to be administered , then farewell the liberty of the subject 'Where is our boasted Habeas Corpus , the pilladium of our liberties ? Mr . Dunoom . be commented upon tl » e conduct of Lord Abinger , and hoped the men of Manchester Would fellow the noble example of the men of London , and get « p a petition to the House of Commons , and get it as numerously signed as possible and forward it to your representatives . —( Cries of " It's no use to send it to them . " ) Oh , yes , { said J 4 r . D ) they are vtry
respectable men . —( Cries of " They will not do . ")—Well , but you must try them . He ( Mr . Dancombe ) would do all that was in his power to bring about the necessary enquiry . —( Load cheers . )—Mr . Duncombe then said that the Com-Lsw-Bepealers thought that if the Corn-Laws ¦ were repealed that that would heal all our evils . He ( Mr . D . ) was of a contrary opinion . There was . othing would save this country but the Suffrage , and to that point all real reformers should rally . The Repealers We going to raise £ 50 , 000 . Well , ha ( Mr . D , ) hoped they would get it ; and be woold advise the Chartists not to throw any obstacles in their way . It would be a failure ; they would not succeed . It irouM only be a foolish waste of money and time ; and alter that has proved useless they will come to you—( loud cheers ) . Gentlemen , the sufirage must be extended before any good can be accomplished—and come thai most , and come it wilL The House of Commons
sut be reformed More the Corn Lvws or any ther taws far the good of the people can be repealed . Then are six years of the term for the Tories yet , and when you bring any thing before them , they as gted a * «« y the Septennial Act is in existence , and you t »« tmXk w yon will , we are secure for the remainder of the tarn . Mr . D . said that be bad stated in his place in Parliament , when he presented the petition containing three millions and a half of signatures , that he would never again be the means through which that House thoald insult the working men of Eagland . Be ( Mr . D . ) had very little faith in petitioning the present Hoase of Commons—( cheers ) . Yon mnst rely Bgtos your own strength . Unite together for the overthrow of oppression and injustice ; and -whatever littie I can do towards bringing about that change so desirable at present for the araaftoratfon of the condition of the working
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classes , I Bball feel a pleasure in doing it . Mr Dane unbe then referred to tbe peace with China , and said he wished it was in his power to proclaim peace between the people and those who governed them . If he had the power be would tell Her Majesty that the only way to secure the stability of the throne was to give equal laws and equal justice to tbe subject ; and on the other hand if there was no protection tot the poor man ' s labour , there could be no security for tbe rich man ' s property —( cheers . ) Mr . D . then thanked them for tbe hearing they had given him , and al * o for tbe reception he had received , and r&Vired amid thundering rounds of applause . Air by the Band— " Auld langsyne . " The Chairman then gave the following toast : —
"The People's Charter , with all its honest advocates ; may they continue to struggle in tbe glorious cause until its principles become the basis of onr future laws , thereby giving peace and prosperity to the community . " Fzaugvs OCoMfoB , Esq ., then rose , amidst tre * mendous cheering , which continued for a considerable time . After the cheering had subsided , Mr . O'Connor raid , Mr . Chairman and Brother Chartists , it is seven years this very week , if not this very day , since I first advocated tbe principles of Chartism to you in Manchester . You and I have fought many a battle together Bince then . We have passed through obliquy aud mlsreprestntatioa We have suffered persecution ; they have incarcerated some , and entombed others . Though
they have murdered a Clayton and a Holberry , still their spirits keckon as on to greater exertion in the cause ef Chartism . Mr . O'Connor then eulogised the conduct of Mr . Dnucombe , for the manly course he had pursued in the Commons House of Parliament Bnt he ( Mr . O'Connor ) differed with that genileman wh-n he said that he was a stranger . It was true that they resided at a distance from each other , but the people of England were not unmindful of those that dared to stand forward in the cause of the toiling millions . It was a great mistake to say that the people were fickle : if any person said that to him , he would tell him that he was a renegade , for tke people never left their friends until they proved themselves unworthy of tbeir confidence . Mr . O Connor then gave the Plague a Bevere
castigation , and referred to Mr . Duncorabe ' a remark , concerning the £ 50 , 000 being a failure ; and , said Mr . O'Connor , by the blessing of God , it shall fail , and soon too ! He then stated that be was called a victim , and he gloried in the name ; it was an honour to be a victim in a good cause . He was no conspirator ; he never in his life had attended a seerefc meeting ; he never belonged to any secret association . It was the law that conspired against him , and not him against the law . But if they imagined that they could put him down by persecution , they reckoned without their host . If they put him in prison every day of tbe week , and be only had Sunday left , be would agitate the one day in seven ; and with that alone he would beat faction out of the field . Mr . O'Connor then called the attention of
tbe meeting to the hubbub about the great distress that prevailed in tbe rural districts ; they were no politicians or the ; would know the cause ; they had no brains or they would know the reason of that distress . He would tell them what it was that produced this state of things in the agricultural counties . The late * Prosperity" was the cause ; during that prosperity they ' were kidnapped to serve the turn of tbe manufacturer , until they could get machinery made , and then they were thrown by like old cog-wheels in tbe lumber-room . And these were the men that he ( Mr . O'Connor ) was to join ; with men that had " plenty" oa their tonnegs , but slmrpattou in their bands —they mii ; ht join them if they pleased , but he neTer would , John Edward Taylor , that handsome young
man , ( save the mark , ) 833 s that there are only 13 , 000 ChartiBts in England—but there are three millions and a half at least . iLoud cries of there are 4 , 060 , 000 . ) Yes , said Mr . O'Connor , 8 ; 000 , 000 , if we count the women . ( Mr . Ltach said they were ladies . ) No ; according to tbe definition ef Mr . Cobden , at Liverpool , ladies were bread-breakers Now , tbe working men ' s wives were not ladies ; for they hod left them 00 bread to break . It was Peel's 3 per cent in tbeir incomes that was making the shopkeepers wince ; and that was the ticket for Chartism . Mr . O Connor then remarked , that it mattered nothing to the working classes what we got from China ; it would not make one farthing difference to them if we got £ 500 , 000 , 000 from them . Mr . O'Connor tberi rave a slowing description of the growth
of his principles in bis own country , and showed in clear and convincing language the difference between PaJdy and John Bull . It was simply this , that we had to live from hand to mouth—whilst Paddy , with all his poverty had , at this time of the year , four or five months potaUta in tbe hole , and he would live upon one meal of these in the twenty-four hours , and agitate without the fear of his employer . He iMr . O Conner ) would never rest satisfied until he had removed that state of things which left them at the mercy of tbeir greatest enemies . Mr . O'Connor ' s speech was ft master piece of oratory , and perfectly electrified the audience . He was loudly cheered throughout . Air , by the band . — " A man ' s a man for a' that The Chaihmah then gave ,
" The democratic press , more especially the Northern and Evening Start , and may they receive the support of those whose interests they so powerfully advocate , and be thereby stimulated to more powerful exertions in the cause of human freedom . " The toast was responded to by tbe repeated plaudits of the meeting . Mr . O'Connor then proposed , " The thanks of not only the men of Manchester , but tbe working classes of England , to T . S . Dancombe , Esq ., M . P ., for his manly and straightforward conduct in the cause of freedom . ' The proposition was seconded by Mr . Leach , and carried with tremendous cheers . Mr , Dt ' . NCoHBE returned thankj in a feeling speech } after which the two illustrious gentlemen left the room , followed by the bltssings of the people .
The ball was then opened aud the dancing and singing were kept up with spirit till five o ' clock in the morning , when the assembly dispersed highly delighted with the treat .
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T HAVE great pleasure ( and no small share of pride ) JL ia submitting the following encomiom upon my little Compilation , the POOR MAN'S COMPANION for 1843 , to the notice of the Public generally ; convinced that the lovers of kight and tbuth will be pleased , with me , that this three-penny-worth of " Facts and Figures" ia calculated to be of use in guiding the public mind to a correct appreciation of several political and social schemes of amelioration advocated by tbe advanced sectioHS of the Riformera . The letter , in which testimony to this
effect is bjrne by a gentleman whose good opinion I value more than that of any other man breathing , is , as will be perceived , a private one to myself . I take the libeny , however , to use it in this publio manner ; satisfied that Mr . O'Connob will not object to my doing so , as itB publication can only have the efilct of accomplishing his own desire , —ensuring the increased circulation of what he deems a good and u&eful book ; useful , I hope , to the Poor Man and to the Poor Man ' s cause . Jos . Hobson . Leeds . Nov . 21 st , 1842 .
London , Nov . 19 , 1842 . My dear Hobsos , —You will see by the Evening Star , that I have made a good use of your invaluable little book ; the very btst that ever appeared in the English language , and one which has taught me that I was a fool till now . You should have called it the " Whig Economist . " It is Bplendid . The tex-payera on the platform started again , when I read the extracts from it But I have not h * d time to do it justice . I forget the increased txpence of sending Frost and others out of the country . That item is frigbttuL Your book should be in every house , from the palace to the cobbler ' s BtalL It is the very best book ever published : and I beg of you to accept my thanks for it . What labour it mutt have cost you in the compilation . Yours , very thankfnlly , FEA . B . GSS O'COTNOK . P . S . —Our meeting was glorious . Tbe Shams are routed for ever ! Not a Chartist would nibble !!
The Poor Man ' s Companion may be had at the Publisher ' s Offices , 5 , Market-street , Leeds , and 3 , Market-walk , Huddtrsfield ; of J . Cleave , 1 , Shoelane , Fleet-fctreet , and J . Watson , Paul's Alley , Paternoster Row , London ; A . Hey wood , and J . Leach , Manchester ; Paton and Love , Glasgow ; G . J . Harney , and W . Banaclongh , Sheffield ; and of all Booksellers and News Agents in Town and Country .
The Northern Star Saturday, November 26, 1842.
THE NORTHERN STAR SATURDAY , NOVEMBER 26 , 1842 .
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M THE REAL WORTH OF CHARTISM . " U > deb this head , the Times hsfi published a paragraph , in which it comments , in its own way , upon the balance sheet of the Executive , given in the Northern Star of last Saturday bat one . The object of the Times is evidently to allay the apprehensions of its patrons as to the growing influence of thoae principles of right by which the axe shall ere long be laid fairly to the root of the fell npas tree of class dominance , under whose shade the Time * and its supporters have so long nestled . He affects to sneer at the amount of the quarter ' s income and expenditure , and to regard it as evidence that the Movement to which it appertains must be contemptible . Here is the paragraph : —
•• Thb Real Wobth op Chartism . —On Saturday tbe provincial organ of Chartism , the Northern Star , published ths ' balance sheet of the executive' for the last quarter . This ' casting op of accounts' will eu
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able the publio to judge of the extent of Chartism , and the sympathy which its advocates find in the mass of the population , better than by the 3 , 000 , 000 signatures asserted to have been attached to the ' National Petition . ' From the recent disturbances in the North , it would be imagined by those who are not aware of the ease with which the unemployed and discontented workmen of that district are excited , that such a bustling place as Ashton , where Chartism boasts of having taken np a strong position , would shew a very respectable master of what O'Connor styles ' blistered hands ' in support of the Charter , and also a goodly
contribution to assist ia its consummation . The balance sheet , however , shows that Ashton has but sixty ' fraternising ' Chartists , and that tbeir permanent resources for the quarter amount to exactly the sum of 10 s . At Birmingham , where Cbartism is supposed to be , numerically speaking , stronger than in any other part of the kingdom , there are but 175 bona fide ' paying ' Chartists ; and tbe amount they have ' sent in ' to the Executive daring the last tnr&e months is 18 s . 4 d . •—18 i . 4 d ., or £ 3 13 s . 4 d . per ahnuto , from Birmingham in support of the Charter ! This is sympathy
indeed . Coventry adds 100 Chartists to the ranks , and 16 s . gd . to tbe funds . Carlisle gives £ 5 ; Darlington £ 5 ; Derby £ 1 ; Huddersfield £ l 18 s . ; Hull £ l 12 s . 64 . ; Halifax £ 1 15 s . 4 d . ; Liverpool has 280 ' communicating' Chartists , and pays £ 113 s . 2 d . ; and Manchester , with its 524 brethren , sends £ 9 17 s . 4 d . Such are tbe bona fide indications of tbe strength of a faction whose noise and violence , artfully associated with the distress unfortunately so general in the north , have half ' frighted the isle from its propriety . ' The grand total of the Income of the executive for three months from
the 3 000 . 000 of partisans , friends , and sympathizers , is £ 160 Is . 5 ; i . The greater portion of the cum has been swallowed np by three of the principal itinerant lecturers : Dr . M'DouaU ' s * wages' and travelling expenewsfor two months amount to £ 35 10 s . ; Bairstow ' a to £ 33 8 ? . ; and Leach ' s to £ 21 lQS ., —the three taking £ 90 18 a . This is agitating to some purpose . The extent , nature , and value of Chartism may be well judged of from the faot that a laborious organization , carried on in every county in England , has enabled its various associations to induce only 11 , 363 persons to eiirol themselves as members , at twopence per qua . ter , and of these 11 , 363 there are no-fewer than 4 , 813 who cat * neglected to pay their twopences . "
Thus it is that the middle and higher classes are led blind-folded , and many of them prevented from forming due estimates of things by the oare taken to pervert the information which is furnished to them . This paragraph is fraught with folly as with virulence . The Times writes habitually for the sordid classes , whose god is Pelf , and who estimate everything , not by its right , its justice , or its
necessity , but by its profitableness . He calculates , and in all likelihood , rightly , that his readera must think meanly of the powers of a Movement , national in its character , and affecting all the interests of society , of which the sum total of its income iB one hundred and sixty pounds , one shilling , and five pence , for three months ! The Times knows nothing of the potency of principle ; nothing of the honest , earnest enthnsiam which makes men
Drably active in a losing game , lie weighs power in the class-balances of money , and , at the rate of party payment finds £ 160 to give so small a modicum , that he becomes merry with his conceit of the real worth of Chartism . " It may be be we ' ll that we should help the reader * of the Times to a more just mode of reckoning ; one that is less likely to mislead them . We shall do so presently , and show that this account of £ 160 for three months , is no statement of Chartist funds at all ; and that , were it tenfold more or less than what it is , it affords no criterion whereby to estimate the power or capacity of that , Movement .
But the ingenious dullness of tho writer is most striking in his manner of makiog out the pauoity of numbers devoted to the principles of Chartism . He looks down tbe column of cards issued during the quarter to each place respectively , and chuckles over his owa blundering assumption that these figures indicate the number of enrolled Chartists in each place . Thus he cackles respecting Ashton-under-Lyne : —
"From tha reaent disturbances in tbe North , it would be imagined that such a bustling place as Ashton , where Chartism boasts of having taken up a strung position , would show a very respectable muster of what O'Connor styles blistered hands in support of the Charter . The balance sheet , however , shows that Ashton has but sixty fraternizing ChartUu . " In like manner the goose gabbles of " a hundred and seventy-five Chartists at Birmingham , " and o a " hundred Chartists at Coventry" !
Tne quantity of cards thus issued during the quarter to each place is cast up at the bottom of the column , and amounts to the number of 11 , 363 plain cards and 79 enamelled cards ; whereupon Goosey , still reasoning from her own manufactured premises , thus further cackles : — " The extent , nature , and value of Chartism may be judged of from the fact that a laborious organization , carried on in every county of England has enabled it » various associations to induce only 11 , 363 persons to enrol themselves as members . "
Now whether this be sheer stolidity or wilful misrepresentation , it is not the less likely to be mischievous , in causing those by whom it is read and trusted to mistake their own position , and the wholo nature of the great matters to which it has reference ; and therefore we take the trouble of adverting to it . It is right that those whom the misstatements of the Time * might otherwise deceive , should be informed that those statements are erroneous ; that the number thus given as the total number of enrolled Chartists in England is nothing more nor less than the number of new cards of membership issued by the Executive during tho three months included in the balance Sheet ! and th&t instead of showing the total number of enrolled Chartists , it exhibits merely the increase during that period I !
The gabblings of the Goose of Printing House Square upon her supposed discoveries of the strength of Chartism in this Balance-sheet are really not a little amusing . She thinks that" This casting ; up of accounts will enable tbe public to judge of the extent of Chartism , and the sympathy which its advocates find in tbe moss of the population , better than by the three millions of signatures asserted to have been attached to the National Petition . "
It is difficult to believe that the writer of this silly paragraph was unaware of the hollow and false character of these statements ; but for the mere common credit of humanity we will presume it . Goosey infers that because only 175 cards have been issued to Birmingham , " the three and a half millions of signatures , asserted to have been attached to the National Petition" forms ho oriterion of ChartiBt Btrength ; and that , in reality , the Chartists are a puerile and contemptible set of whom nobody need be afraid . We have shown already that her inference rests on a false basis , and is therefore
worthless . But the National Petition , quoth Goosey , is no proof of the general prevalence of Chartist doctrines and principles . As we have no disposition to ^ be captious , we shall not defend the point . We may however whisper into Goosey ' s ear a little fact that is proof of this so much dreaded matter . In this same town of Birmingham , where there &reenly one hundred and seventy five Chartists , and where of course the rest are all Whigs and Tories , neither Whigs nor Tories dare come honestly , boldly , and openly before a public meeting of the inhabitants to controvert any one of tbe principles of Chartism , for fear these one hundred and seventy-five Chartists should out-vote them ! In thiB same town of
Birmingham , where there are one hundred and seventyfive Chartitts , and of the contemptible character of Chartism , in which Goosey cackles bo lustily , neither of the factions ever dare to permit these one hundred and seventy-five Chartists to hold a public meeting , for ths assertion of their principles , when they can prevent it . The case is similar in every town in England . Will this enable Goosey to "judge of the extent of Chartism and the sympathy which its advocates find in the mass of the popula » tion better than by the 3 , 000 , 000 of signatures asserted to have been attached to the National Petition" ! Poor Goosey finds herself aud her patrons in a mess , and we much doubt this blundering will not help it .
But the money ! the money ! the " casting up of accoants" ! there is at all events no getting over that . The whole income of the Chartist movement , for a quarter of a year , has been little more than £ l 6 b . And what can be done for £ 1601 What alarm need
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f action have on account of any body , or any code of prinoiples , for the sustenance of which only £ !•*• can be raised fora whole quarter !! 01 what a pity that Goosey and her patrons know so little « f the indomitable spirit , the persevering energy , and the ceaseless activity infused into a people by suffering and poverty , the known consequences of injustice . To help Goosey and her patrons to some slight acquaintance with the matter , let us just look at what hat been done by the advocates of Chartism , and the sympathy which those advocates have found in" the maBsof the population . " What have they done 1
They have baffled all the efforts of all Goosey ' s friends , whether Whig or Tory , Pro-Corn Law or Anti-Corn Law ! All the wealth of the whole nation ; all the power of the whole nationas weilded first by a Whig and then by a Tory Government , —has been employed to put down Chartism . It has failed ! All the blandishments of eloquence , so easily at the command of wealth , have been exhausted by the Anti-Corn Law League in attempting to persuade the " mass of the population ' to give up their sympathy with the advocates of Chartism . The League has spent upon this single objeot very many thousands of pounds already ; they have oontemptibly failed ; and are now seeking to raise £ 50 , 000 more to renew the effort . Failing in
persuasion , they have tried jugglery and treachery ; they have pretended to espouse our prinoiples that they might lead us from them , trying thus to cheat u 3 out of that which they couldn't cajole from us . They have failed , and are being laughed at , as they aro preparing to slink from our ranks like a discovered and well-ducked spy . The " free-traders ' have endeavoured to enforce compliance by starvation ; they have brought down wages for the avowed purpose ; they have , in many instances , refused employment to all men of known Chartist principles . Every means has been tried to induce the " mass of the population" to refuse to "fraternize " with Chartists ; but in vain : their " sympathy with its advocates" was too strong to be thus overcome !
The factions then joined together for the purpose . They agreed to " sink minor differences , " and make one mighty effort to oruah Chartism . They played into eaoh other ' a hands , the League forcing an insurrectionary movement , and the Government coming to their aid with Special Commissions , partisan Judges , law myrmidous , and all the paraphernalia of power and terrorism . The League orators , the Buckingham and Chandos orators , the whole press of the " Establishment , " the Legislators of St . Stephens , and the Judges on the Bench , have all concurred in describing Chartism as a dangerous monster , which , if not slain , would destroy property , and rank , and literally
" Fright the fair isle from its propriety" t All the power 8 of all these parties have been severally exerted and unitedly combined to crush this same Chartism . It has all failed !! and Goosey dow comes to the affray with hope to sneer it from the field , because all its mighty efforts , offensive and defensive against the power of tyranny , seem to hare been made at almost no oest I M The grand total of the Executive for three months is £ 160 Is . 5 d . "l
Had Goosey not been-either a | very silly or a very dishonest goosey , she weuld have cackled otherwise . She would have said , if Chartism , with an income of only £ 160 for three months for its Executive , has been able , thus successfully , to defy and scorn us ; if with this paucity of pecuniary resources given from the pence of starving men , Chartism holds on its way , and lives against all odds , it is surely high time to inquire seriously if there be not
good and ' sufficient reason for it 1 if a system so enduring in its character , and finding such perfect and universal " sympathy in the mass of the population , " be not based upon justice and upheld by truth 1 Had Goosey thus commended to her readers an enquiry into the merits of Chartism , instead of inspiring them with a contempt for it , her cacklings might have been regarded as approximating much more nearly those of her ancient prototype who saved the capitol .
We think it neoesaary , however , that the readers of the Times should know more about the matter than it is plain the -Times does . The Times makes the gross mistake of substituting the expenditure of the Executive for that of the whole Chartist body . This it is for a goose to cackle upon matters of which it knows nothing . The Balance Sheet of the Executive has merely reference to one of the many departments of the Chartist agitation ; aud that the one which is or ought to be the least expensive . The Balance Sheet has merely reference to the expences of that general supervision of the
whole which pertains to the Executive . Goosey seems not to know that every distriot , and generally speaking every locality , has its own funds ; and its own staff of lecturers , tracts , meetings , delegates , and other means of agitation , by which . the strength and animus of Chartism is kept up , and through whioh its power is made mauife&t . Goosey never made a greater mistake , nor one calculated to do more injury to those who trust her oacklings than in thus substituting the Executive for Chartism . We readily make Goosey a present of the inference , that if the real worth of Cfaprtism
is to be reckoned by the Executive balance sheet , it stands but at a low ebb \ but we warn Goosey ' s keepers that her cacklings are fallacious . We point them to tbe fact tnat with an Executive receiving but £ 160 for one quarter , and of that small sum grossly misapplying a large portion , Chartism has yet made head against all the power of faction ; and we ask them to think what must have been its position , if their remorseless cruelty had not so bound down the hands of poverty as that £ 160 has had to come in the shape of deductions from the half-meals of a people half-famished V We ask them to think
if with an Executive grossly misapplying their , funds , tho people have yet made head for Chartism , what will they do when those scanty funds shall be honestly disbursed , and wisely appropriated \ We ask the patrons of the Times to think upon these matters , and to consider whether it be not useless to prolong the contest of might against right ? when according to the showing of their owa organ , a struggle bo momentous so peaceful , so determined , and so perfectly national , as that of Chartism against faction , is conducted at
a cost so trifling that even tha expenditure of an extravagant jobbing Executive is quoted by that organ as matter of contempt , because of its small amount ! while we bid the people see in this another indication of their power , and another indication of the trembling tearfulness of faction , whioh so dreads the fair form of principle and right , that it refuses even to look upon , it but obliquely , and tries to please and sooth itself , by conjuring up a creation of its own , of which to speak contemptuously as " the real worth of Chartism . "
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starvation , and whose only offence was their peaceably assembling to disouss their grievances , and , according to the unquestionable right of the British Constitution , to raise the voice of remonstrance against that vile system of . ¦ " Class-legislation , " which has produced , and would perpetuate such a state of things . The foul and tyrannical spirit in which the proceedings of " the Commission" were carried out , demanded the meeting ; and most nobly indeed did " the mon of London" respond to the demand .
To 6 ay that the great room of the Crown and Anchor ( estimated to hold "three thousand persons , '') was filled , would be short of the description , and tame for the appearance . It was literally crammed— " crammed to suffocation" —not only women ( who were there in large numbers ) , but men , being so oppressed by the heat and pressure , as to be frequently carried from the room in a faint * ing state ; and all this , while " thousands" who presented themselves at the doors of the tavern were compelled to go away disappointed , —the lobby and staircase approaches to the great room being choked with a living mass of excited , interested , and anxious people .
In the memory tof the oldest " meeting goers , " no such crowded demonstration has before taken place , even within the walla of the celebrated Crown and Anchor . Even the oldest reporters of the London newspaper press , —men , be it remarked , accustomed to publio meetings , and whose opinions ( the result of experience and observation ) are worthy the highest attention—admit that they have never witnessed any thing to equal it .
" The breath of the people , says the proverb , "is mighty ; " and on Ithis occasion it was not only mighty in its " indignation , " but mighty in its " condensation . " Ascending in imperceptible vapour , it descended from the coved and lofty ceiling in large condensed drops—a rain-like shower—indioative of the wedged aad firm-set mass from whom it emanated . And yet here are men who say that u Chartism " is dying , and that its members and advocates are falling off . Chartism dying ! This great , this mighty meeting of "sympathisers , " or , in the words of the immaculate and pure-minded Lord Abinger , of " a kind of people called Chartists , " looks like it —awes the answer to it .
Let the Government not be insensible to the importance of this great Meeting , in its collective form , and in its individual membership . Let it think , reflect , dwell upon , take a lesson and a moral from it . Let it be hot as "the deaf addtr , " or "the moping owl , " insensible to what is passing , and to what so deeply concerns it ; but , if it have " eyes to Bee , " and " ears to hear , " let it" hear and see , " and judge accordingly ! Let it fling away the " oracles" and " spectacles" of the wily , willing , and ready tool , Judge "Jeffries "— we beg his Lordship ' s pardon—Judge m Abim » eb , " we meant to
say . Let the members who form and carry on the Government remember , that this great demonstration of men and mind was no ordinary one : that it was a mighty commentary on their proceedings ; and if they would not have it a lasting , and a destroying one , let them , while they have yet time , reflect in their councils upon it , and regard it as a "light" held out by an outraged yet forbearing country , to lead them from the dark labyrinth in whioh they are floundering , into the highways and broadways of justice which they have so shamelesslj , guiltily , unblushingly , and unprinoipledly abandoned .
To the "Men of London" who constituted that great meeting—or London , the mighty heart of the Nation "—the highest praise ia due ; and be the highest honour given ; for the manner in which they got up , and carried out , this astounding demonstration . To the rest of the country—to every City , Town , Hamlet , and Borough , within its bosom , we would Bay , " Go and do likewise . " The Great City has moved . Let the minor ones follow ; let the Towns , the Hamlets , the Boroughs , and Rural districts follow ; and in this way , without
distressing any one , such a " Victim" and Defence" Fund cannot fail to be created , as will defeat tyranny , tear the scales of Justice from the polluted hands of a Political Judge , defend the inaooeat , defeat the unjust , and , by putting an end to "ClasB Legislation , " and building up the great principle of "Justice to ail ? protection to all , equality of " political rights" to all—make this country what she ought to be— " the ffUry and admiration of the World , " free in her institutions , and happy in ' the independence , comfort , and union of her children .
Up ! then , " Men of England ! " "Be up and stirring ! " Follow the noble and K soul-exciting example * ' of the " Men of London , "—an example which cannot fail to cheer the very " Victims" in the solitude of their cold , dismal , ' desolate , and healthdestroying calls . " Up ! " it is" theVoiceof Liberty , " from your "native hills" and " valleys , " that calls upon you ; your suffering fellow countrymen , in their bondage , echoing the sentiment , call upon you :
" all Nature" calls upon you to be " up ! " Set your meetings going ; and without violating any law , you will , we repeat , by this course , create suoha " Viotim" and" Defence" Fund , as will . ' enable you to beat the enemy , set your country and kind free , and lay the basis of a system of legislation and feeling , in whioh the Crown will Sad its protection , and the Community its wisest safeguard . —Evening Star of Wednetday .
The " country" t * answering to this spirited and energetio call ! It u responding to the challenge given it by the patriotic eona of toil in tbe metropolis . It is responding to that challenge most spiritedly . Look at the Manchester demonstration on Monday evening last ! The large room of the Carpenter ' s Hall filled ; and hundreds refused admission for want of accommodation . Look , too ,
to the answer Stockport has given ; and look also to the answer Leeds is preparing to give . ' The Chartists of other places are also getting ready ; and , by the time that Parliament meets , we shall have , we hope , throughout the country , such an expression of indignant publio opinion as will drive the "Partisan Judged' from the Benoh , and compel the Government to revoke the unjust sentences be has passed .
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ELECTION OF GENERAL COUNCIL . The eighth article of our General Organization provides that the nomination of persons to serve on the General Council for the ensuing year , shall take place on the first day in December in every year . There has been hitherto in this as in every , other part , of it , an utter want of attention to the working of the Association . It is the General Secretary ' s business to instruct all the Sub-Secretaries , and through them the General Councillors of the Association , as to the proper mode and time of
performing this and alL the other « dutie 3 that devolve upon them ; so far a ? we can learn , this business has never been done ; a ' . id the consequence is that abuses and disorders h ^ ve abounded everywhere , and we have literally , r point of faot , had no Organization at all . Instead of having , as by rule we ought to have , a genersa annual election of Councillors , they have been elect . ed in all sorts of ways ; some places eleoting tb / jm every three months , others every six months ; 9 . nd some at one period , and others at other periods of the year . Nominations for General Council have
been continually sent to us for publication throughout the whole year , without the observance of any rule upon the matter ; so that in point of factthe National Charter Association , so called , has been no National society at all . It has been simply by the Executive ' s neglect of duty ; a heap of disjointed local societies acting without either Bystem or concert , and exposing all its members to exactly the same legal risks as were incurred under the old Organization without any of the . benefits of the oonfessedly more stringentlcharaoter of that Organiza .
tion . It is high time for this state of things to come to an end . Seeing that the Executive , to whom the duty of carrying out the Organisation iB more pecnliar / y entrusted , lack either the disposition , Or the ability to do so , the people must now do ^ t for themselves . They do not need the Executive , but they do need the Organisation . That is their only effective rallying point against the enemy ; and that must now be carried vigorously Jinto effect . It must be
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done , as all other good things most be done , by tha people themselves . Let the people but . do thelj duty , and the members of the Executive , . ' whoer ^ they may be , will be speedily compelled to do thebi , There could be no such doinga as ~ have been pra * tised by the Executive if tbeipeople did « their dut y . Let them begin now , then . Now is tho time for tin general nomination of the Coanoillora of the whola kingdom . This nomination is the business of the several sub-Secretaries , for be it remembered thai the National Charter Association cannot legally hatt any existence , but in the acts of its functionaries , and the public registration of its members .
It has been very oommon , in several localities , for the weekly meetings to pass resolutions electing such and such men , as Members of the General Council of the National Charter Association . All such resolutions are illegal . The nomination of Councillors is the business of the sub-Secretary , anj of him only . But though the actual nomination is legally th « business of the sub-Secretary , every sub-Secretary does or should take for his guidance in it the Only democratic " pole star , " Publio Opinion . To make this plain , we will suppose the nomination of members for the next General Council to be now
taking place . The Chartists of Bradford meet in theii usual place of resort , on Monday evening ; among other subjects of discussion , the relative merits of nine men who have started as candidates for the General Council , and out of whom seven an . to be elected , eemes npoa the carpet ; the people express their opinion upon the matter by vote ; they have a right to do so ; it is a mat * ter for publio opinion ; and though this expression of public opinion forms no part of the actual operations of the National Charter Association , the sub-Secretary , whose duty it is to noininate the Councillors , will of course nominate no other persons than those whom publio opinion has thus marked out for him . Should he dare to act otherwise , he would , in our opinion ,
prove himself to be utterly unfit for his situation , and we should advise the Association instantly to replace him by a more worthy man . The people most bear this in mind , that their weekly meetings , in their several localities , are not meetings of the National Charter Association ; they are meetings of the Chartists thereabouts resident in their individual capacity The business of the officers , of tbe Association is , to watch the current of opinion in their several depart " menta of the Chartist world , and to regulate their movements accordingly .
We shall shortly submit a still better , and more certain mode for electing all the offioera , and obtaining a general vote upon any question of importance , but there would not be time to put any new mode of action into operation before the first of December . The nominations , therefore , must all be now mad * in the usual way , and the chief thing of importance for the people to look to is the sort of men to bt nominated . The office of General Councillor is one of great importance . They should be all meu of cool discrimination , combined with a due share of zeal and firmness . They should be men of
lusiness-like habits . They should be men who thoroughly understand the Organisation , andjWho will , therefore , keep a watch over the Executive , and over tho members in their own locality ; vigilantly guiding and guarding the one against , and , if necessary , restraining the- other from , or at least rebuking th » m for , its violation . They should be such men as the Councillors of Hull Above all things they should be oat and out heart Chartists ; they should have the root of the matter , in them ; they should not be men who seek offioe , either from motives of interest or vanity . These
are the kind of men whom the people are most apt to put into office , and who are the most unfit for it . Let these men be noted ; they are easily known : let them be avoided ; they are dangerous . Where tka people see a man , coming amongst them , who is very fond of hearing himself talk ; who likes to be a for ward man and a head man in every thing and who evidently Iike 3 to thrust himself into office ; who likes particularly to be concerned in monej matters j and more especially if they have noted , that such a man came amongst them retf poor , aad that , without visible increase in his moans , he has , since he became a leading and a head man in every * thing , become more flush of money than is usual with persona in his sphere of life : wherever the
people note such a man , let them note him as an uafii man for a General Councillor . A Councillor of the National Charter Association should be above suspicion ' s breath . He Bhould have the clean handi and pure heart of a true patriot . There is a very unwise practice in some localities of electing too many Councillors . It i 3 of much less consequence to have many , than to have then of the right sort . The people cannot be too cautious in these matters . The main work , after all , rests with them . Let them but do their own . work , and their officers can scarcely go far wrong . Let them remember , then , that a very important part of their work consists in the exeroise of judgment and prudence , in marking out proper men for nomination as General Councillors *
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- . ' + ** r * ry * tm ^ S *** - ^^^^—!*** - ******^***** - ' THE EXECUTIVE , THEIR BALANCESHEET , AND THE ORGANIZATION . We call attention to the correspondence whioh we give elsewhere upon this very important subject . It is vital to our movement that the people should know well , and trust implicitly , the men who , as Executive Councillors , have , to a great extent , the direction of the movement , and the handling of a large portion of its funds . We should ill-disohargs our duty , did we hesitate to probe , honestly and fairly to the bottom , a discovered rottenness , that might , if not remedied in time , have seriously damaged the constitution of our movement . It is reasonable that those who are entrusted with ths
highest offices , and with the greatest amount of power and influence that Chartists can bestow , should be required to act in accordance with their own prinoiples . We esteem as highly as the ] themselves can wish as the personal services of son * members of the executive , as lecturers and agitators for the cause . We have no wish to de trset anything from those Bervioes , but we cannot permit the services of these men is one capaoity to blind us to their mal-practices in another ; . nor must thi country do so . In reviewing their acts as an Ew cutive , the only proper course is to leave out of
Bight all other considerations ; to look at the pi ** of Organisation , at the duties of the office , the defined powers of the office , and the purpose tot wMch the office was instituted ; and to consider how far all these matters have or have not been regarded ) a may beat become good men and honest Chartisto To guard all the interests of a great puM movement requires gTeat circumspeotness , great prudence and coolness , and great command « temper . It requires that , as far as possible , discussions and differences should be private and friendly ! that the enemy may take no advantage of them :
and hence , while we have always holden it to be tb * duty of the people to keep a strict surveillance ow * all the acts of all their publio officers , and *» admonish , reprove , or censure as might be necessfttfs we have always deprecated the doing of this tfiw undue harshness of expression , or in any ma&o * more public and offensive than was absolutely nefl * sary . For this reason we have very frequenw abstained from publio icomment both on the Ex *" * tive and other prominent and leading parties , wh « j * admonition and reproof were evidently need ** thinking that doubtless other members of the As **
ciation were looking on—that the same' deTi *^ from striotly defined rules and duties , which stta * ua . must Btrike others—and that doubtless kindlr fi _ rate intimations , from perhaps man ; 4 asrt ^/ would be sufficient to prevent a recurrence of e ** whioh we wereready to ascribe rather to lack ofetf * rience and inattention , than to any other oaas ^\ will be remembered that the balance sheet publtf ** ... . . jifBt in July , excited , and very properly , much discus and much serious dissatisfaction amongst them *** bers , and that an important meeting of i 6 li ^^ at Leicester , consisting of not fewer than twenty- ^ delegates , representing all the important localiti * ' *
The Politician's Text Book.
THE POLITICIAN'S TEXT BOOK .
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THE GREAT GATHERING . DOOM OF FACTION . It is with feelings of pride and pleasure thy . t we refer the publio attention to the Great Me eting—for "Great' * in the strict sense of the term it was—hefd at the Crown and Anchor Tavern , Strand , on Thursday evening last , to pronour jce in the sacred name of the country , " the stron g verdict of " denunciation" on those tyrannical proceedings of the present government , whioh fill at this moment our jails with " Political victims , " ^ carrying
desolation into the bosoms and hovels of t > j B hard-working poor , and which have put in motf . on the heavy and foully concocted machinery of " Special Commissions , " with a bloated , bigoted , torturous-minded " partisan judge , * and " packed ?» and " compliant " juries to work them out ; thus heaping censurable expense on the cou ' atry ; and , in violation and barefaced defiance / of fell sense of right and principle , inflicting punishment on innocence , denying justice to the injured , ar , d carrying , on the blasted and envenomed win ?' ., of revenge , blight , misery , and ruin to the wives and "little ones " of the accused , —those poor , but virtuous-minded men , whose case was
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A THfE NORTHERN STAR . ^____— ' ¦ '/" . " : ; . " , ' . 1 v
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Nov. 26, 1842, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1188/page/4/
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