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TO TBE MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL LAND COMPANY.
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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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My Beloved Children-, I think that those who supposed that a cessation from political agitation had damped my ardour , or diminished my energy , will disoover their mistake when they peruse this week ' s Star . You who look to our g lori » ousJLand Plan as the only means of redemption from degraded poverty to manly independence , will need no apology for the amount of space devoted to the Land question in this week ' Star , But if you should require -a reasonyou will discover it in the fact thai no
, lever than six newspapers , each with its full complement of ruffians , devoted column after column to abuse of me , daring my absence uponthe Continent , making their high-minded scruples about your pence the pretext for assailing , not only my conduct as your treasurer and bailiff , but actually trying to hunt out of my whole existence incidents connected with my private character , as a means of destroying your confidence . ... " When you have maturely deliberated upon tie source from whence theie fahriratinrie ) . »>
come ^^ bnlmn . nndersfatid'that ; consideration for y p n was . not e ' y , en a meresecondary thought . ^ « mmmm ^ mkM * # m ® m wm-m ik ^ 5 ® e * twp . w ttepe creatares ^ f ^ t ^ t ^ i ^ oiy to ab ^ uteindeperid ^ ce ^ mean tofeon and ArdilL Hie one has ' ¦ assumedthenan ^ bf tirt Laacadare ; WeaTer ^ Boy / f and , wh « tt ~ & ai : vered-hubi *; 4 i sguise , ; . then-assumed hu own name : the other .. has been the ' Arithmetical
Cowipoidab i . rfui the Wffflr&ner- Mnte ( £ loyd ' spapo ) , and & very pretty Eum heiaa worked , ^ vety pretty ass lie lias made of him-« d £ ' Thhwago the gentiemaifc ^ Htf fept my books for seven years , " and which his friend Hobson declared were falsified by me to the amount of £ 2 , 000 . to bring Mr John Cleave in my debt to that extent . I now give you the following letters from Mr John Ardill , relative to his friend Hobson ' s mode of transacting business . Here they are : —
Lekds , Dec . 7 tb , 1842 . It would be rigit now t « have a day at the old Bl&chine , Job at the old machine by day and Gregg *» tteaeir machine by night—Eobtm tads a pertcn who used to fold on Thursdays and Fridayi . Sim-BondV brother wetting paper . ^ . £ *• d . Tlua week , there is ... 4 10 8 ... ... 8 0 *** ... «•• 16 0
514 8 for what was done by one man and two boys . Will Brown working in Hobun ' sshop when not laying on , andPallUter working in Hobson ' a office when not taking off : it should have ! been £ 2 . 10 s . 8 d . The Ease ma ; be said of the other weeks . Tours , Johs Abdhim Now , that ' s pretty well for a beginning , and 2 pray your attention to the second : — Leeds , Dec . 14 th , 1843 .
• I now come to the question of wages . I am aware that you said Hobson should be paid weekly , but you also said that his salary should be stopped out of the overcharges . The sooner we get these tilings settled the better ; and if you will write me the following or seme such letter , we shall get more right—say , « You are in error about the portraits , the price u 6 i < L , not 7 Jd . as you make it , and that wnl bring in £ 750 ., which should enable us to pay ready money for everything . I don't understand yanr account of tha wages , nor do I understand how you make the profits only £ 10 . a week , as you state in your return for the Income Tax . Now , all these
things I wish to have explained . ' Now , if you write this and pest it on Saturday , Hobson will receive it os Snnday , and I will answer it , and the more we are separated in all these things the better . There are other things as well as wages that want settling . It is not right to charge 6 d . an hoar for Hobson's apprentices laying on and taking off in the machine room , and then there ' s insuranceI we pay on £ 3 , 600 . while one half of the property , or nearly so , belongs to Hobson , and all is insured is his name . I am aware that you told him to insure , bnt then he should have done so in your name . Then there ' s coals , and gas , and rent—want settling as well as wages .
I am not for COMMUNITY when the payments are all on one side , as coals , gas , and insurance , or partia lly so , as rent . The landlord comes here and raises our rent—henas done so three times in two yeare—but he doos ' nt raise Hobwa ' s . Hobsen took his for five years upon the understanding that his rent should not ba raisfd , so all falls u pon us ; and the landlord says , 'I know my bargain with you Mr Hanson , but I am speaking about these premises , ' and the consequence is , that we are paying more than our-neighbours , while Hobson is paying eo xunclgthe lea . . . Yours , . ¦ . ' - ¦ .- ' ' Jon Abdul .
Now , my children , I ask you if you erer heard fraud more clearly exposed , or if you ever knew of a more viuanouswav of exposing ; it . Here were two fellow-servants , professing to confide in each other ; and this is the way that one observes the compact towards the other ; and this is the manner in which Mr Ardill represents Mn Hobson as treating me : but I have other letters which followed these , but cannot yet divulge their contents , as I shall need them for another purpose . I have one—a statistical one—covering no fewer than twenty-four pages , setting forth the manner
in which Mr Hobson had discharged his duties as printer and publisher of the Northern Star . I presume that those gentlemen feuilt upon my fears or my weakness—which is forgiveness—when they thus entered the field of strife ; hut what will you say of my disposition when I tell you , notwithstanding the information given of my affairs by my clerk , that I never even mentioned the affair to Mr Hobson , though he was in my employment for three years subsequently . What will you say of one of these men charging me with having
falsified my books as to Cleave ' s account , while John Ardill , my bookkeeper , and Joshua Hobson my editor , knowing that Cleave was in my debt to a considerable amount , took six months to arrange Mr Cleave ' s affairs , and without whose assistance MfQeave was not able to say what money he paid , or what money he received . It was not my intention to have made the slightest comment upon this affair of Cleave ' s until the arbitration was closed : but as Mr Hobson has thought proper to charge me with eo heinous a crime , I will
now give you that portion of the evidence which bears upon this point of the case . ZXiULVATIOK OF UBS RIDER BEFORE THE ARBIIBATOB . I used to wash at Hobsou ' s house , Ardill was uvmgUiere , and I remember when Hobson was dist&arged from theNoBTKBS Stir—I was there the cay he came in , and he said * John will you help me *> patk up , ' Ardfll said , I miist settle the books as I BUpposemj turn willet-menext . ' Well . 'said Hobson , ^ help me to pack , l'il help you to do the books , wm tney sat down at . different times to the books ; "is ! time I was speaking of they were in the parlour
, ^ lt J Vr r U 1 idl * mist have ' them ready , it would wtdofor O'Connor to see them in this way , these nguyes want altering , and these figures want altering , and I saw them and heard them at tnis three aifftrentdays , and then they took the books up stairs , Stw ^ V , metha"b ey wereatthebaoks , and that she had orders from Ardill not to give the books to any one without a note from him . She never mentioned the subject to Mr O'Connor , nor neverspoke tohimtwice in her life , but she mentioned it to her husband , when she heard there was to be law about the
buoks-Cross-examined by Mr Petersdorff : —No , » he could not be mistaken about the words' settling * and' alter-1 DE , she was sure it was' altering , ' for she saw them doin- it—they used to go sometimesinto the kitchen , aad sometimes into the parlour , arid were always at « e books , aid then they took them upstairs , and I deu ' t know whit they done with them there . ^ < w , that ' s the only part of the evidence I stall publish until the proceedings are over , nor si , cuid I have hinted at it in the Northern « w , did not this rascally charge , of falsifying
? 3 * books , demand the explanation from me . 1 dare say that both you and the world at « rge will be astonished when I lay before you , On « f these days , the most simple , plain , and Y * account of the rise and progress of the jwrfftera Star , and the fortunes that have jjeen ma ( k by it , while it has never left me , iH '" P aln » est days , 4 / . a week to spend . I have & ? a with this subject , which has been in [» "P onme ; and what think vou of the £ Hobson , w « tuig a letter in the Man-SSi xamner oflast Saturday ' which <**•
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^ - toagM : I been dragged into it . The' Whistler * having related some cnmgs of and concerning me that were not wholly correct , I took the liberty of declaring the truth ; thereupon Mr O'Connor challeaged me as a witness ¦ gainst him . offering to ' pay my expenses ; ' and though I would not meet him on snoh a ground , and ndeftnoh ciroomgtanceB , he shall find that I do not » f tn " ni from meeting him on a 'fair stage . ' , t « * , Reipectfully , Joshua Hobsoic . Haddemfield , Oct . 29 , 1847 . Now , then , what do you think of this beast charging me with plunder to the amount of 5 , 0002 . and upwards ,, snapping at every item in the balance sheet , lying about being discharged for his attempt to put the Land Plan uppaafiraibasis , my ungenerous treatment of ainspi my fraud J upon : ; the several asents and
saareiroldeTt < rf the 'ffartiter * Star ; and last , though notlfeast £ falsi ^^ ; tf 0 ttilerfc : : S ^~ & > $ ^ mv'dete ^ then ^ reQV <^ g ^^^ a less amount , Md tlt ^ , & wl ^ % wea ^ g , bullying , a ^ blustering wtiildlifrdo j and % hea I discOTea ^ thailwriy ^ 250 t , to compromise : Arid thisI is'the gentle ^ roath ^ tbomod ^ discussion forced uponhim , who only corrected a few errors of the "Whistler , " forgetting that he bad published every one of his letters before I ever mentioned his name , and then I did so no further than merely to give his friend , the "Whistler , " the benefit of his evidence at my expense .
Having now purged my character , which is dear to you , of every simple charge that the malignity of those savages would trump up , I tura to die consideration ef what is important to you . Firstly , my children , to convince you that your father has not lost his energy , let me describe to you what my last week ' s performance was . On Monday night I was at the Crown and Anchor , and sat up till three o ' clock in the rrtbrning with our friend Mr Roberts . On Tuesday , I travelled to Manchester , and defended myself in an oven , and received money in * a draught , enough to kill another man , until half-past one o ' clock , and was not in bed till four . On Wednesday , I travelled to Nottingham , there defended
myself in a hot bath , and received money till past eleven o clock , and was ' ntin bed till past two . Thursday , I went to London , and gave the Manager an account of all the monies I received for the Bank , and the monies themselves , even to the shilling that a poor fellow paid into the Redemption Fund . I then gave our financial secretary , Mr M'Grath , an accouat of all the monies received for the Land , and the monies , to the farthing , into the bargain . I then wrote m ^ letter to you in last week ' s Star . On Friday , I started for Herringsgate , to distribute the premiums according to appointment—but the following very sensible address induced me to comply with its terms , and I gave the 152 . for a corn mill . Here is the address : —
Respktbd Sib , —We , the occupants of the O'Connorrillo estate , rejnice in this opportunity of meeting our politicaland social parent on his mission of kindness and encouragement to us , the first offspring of his labours iu regenerating the condition of ttw toil , ing millions of this country ; we feel grateful for your intended kindness of distributing premiums to those occupants whose allotments show proofs of their having bellowed the greatest care in their cultivation , ( as an inducement to all to act with the like energy and perseverance ) . But after serious deliberation we have come to the unanimous conclusion , that under present circumstances this intended kindness could not be distributed justly , and would have
the effect of mating jealousy and iil-teeling amongst those whose interest and desire is to life in brotherly harmony ; the quality of the soil we occupy isra . rions ; the time of bar taking possession was not in all cases timilar ; our families vary in number ; and some « f the occupants having a small capital have been enabled to employ hired labour ; . all these circumstances would render the selection of the fortunate allottees a difficult and invidioasJtask ' ; we ' re ; gret that these reasons hare caaied , us tb ' decline the favour you intended , bat from your known discrimination we feel confident that you will appreciate our feelings and sot take offence at our determination , especially / as we are still inclined to be your debtors , merely wishing to vary the manner of the gift . Experience has shown to us the necessity of having a corn mill in onr possession , as the common Drooertv
of onr body ; we have been put to considerable trouble and expense in conveying our corn to the neighbouring nulls , and have likewise been greatly impose ) upon in regard to the quantity and quality returned when ground , and you would confer agreat obligation on us by placing in the hands of our secretary the amount of the premiums you intended bestowing in furtherance of the attainment of this object . All the occupants hare in our belief , exerted themselves to the utmost in the cultivation of their respective allatments , knowing that thereby they advanced not only their own interests , but the success of an experiment destined in their opinion to effect a moral revolution in the social condition of the British empire , and through that of the world at large . All are equally deserving , and by acceding to our wishes , all would be equally benefitted .
Respected Sir , —We cannot conclude without taking this onr first opportunity of personally congratulating you on having become a member of the British Legislature , and trust that you will long live to be an ornament and an example to that body . This increase of honour has doubtless drawn down upon you the calumny of the venal press , but securing the lore and justifying the confidence of your friends , and the members of the Land Company , you will ever , as in the present instance , ba able to disprove and defy their calumnies , thus endearing yourself more and more to ourihearts , and to the hearts of all true and right minded men . Tours , on behalf of the occupaats , Charlxs Suhh Willums , Thomas Martin Wheeler .
On Friday night I returned to London with 25 empty sacks , in which the seed wheat was conveyed to Herringsgate , and on Saturday I returned with them to Minster—very fitting baggage fora Member of Parliament . Now , my friends , I'll describe—not fancifully , but critically—what 1 6 aw and what I heard , but I cannot describe what I felt , upon this , my first visit to my first colony . When I entered my heart was very full , 1 assure you . I saw the plumber and several of the occupants engaged in sinking a pump in the well nearest the entrance . Wheeler ' s house is the first you come to , and I was literally astounded when I
beheld its neatness and its beauty . In front he had erected a neat little verandah , and all around , for a considerable space , were the most splendid and luxuriant dahlias , sunflowers , and other flowers and shrubs , while the interior was the picture of simple neatness . I can t tell you what my joy was at seeing our old secretary—our old Chartist—so happy , so contented , and so improved . But as I dined with him off a cold bone of pork , and as I shall come to the most interesting part of this narrative in due time , I'll leave him for the
pre sent to take you with me to every cottage , and round the whole estate , for I went into every house except Ireland ' s-who lives in London , andomy comes down on Saturday-andOdd y ' s which was locked up , he and his wife bein / a work m the distant pan of tkeir ground I mus inform you that Mr Wallace LsselL of Paisley , and Mr Sewell , one of our trustees accompanied me to every house , and were present at every conversation . After leaving ; Wheeler s I went to Mitchell ' s , who had been a chairmaker , neither he nor his wife looked
like the same people as when they came to Herringsgate—they were more than satisfied with their lot , and have fourteen pigs . The next was Ramsbottom , he had three fine pigs , and told me , that , though he had the worst lot he would not leave it if it ^ were ever so , as | he never felt go happy in his life . The next I visited was Tawes , the man of whose condition the lousy "Rambler " made such a report . I said , "Tawes , if you were so destitute as the
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man represented you in the Nottingham Mercury , you should have made your case known to me . " " He ' s a scandalising vagabond , " said Tawes , "there wasn ' t a word of it true ; he came here when we were busy in getting in the barley , and as he said he was very hungry my wife put down some potatoes to boil for him . "Yes , " said Mrs Tawes , "I didn ' t want him here at all , he was a dirty fellow , and when he came in he said he expected to find meat pies , and fruit pies , and aUjthe things you said we would have ; and when , he , < begari to question me I said * of course it was i strange at first coming to a new thing like this , but
that ; wer were getting to Tike it better and betterV every day / ' . > Well / t said 1 , ' / you are looking better than ? you . did * feeti youcainp here . " ; . " Yes ^ ank u £ od !" said i ^ , : * and lc » kvat xn ^^^ Lchildren' ' . ^» M ; n » £ ^ 'd ^ of ; healthytheL 4 de 9 tn 9 t ' mqw ^ than . tenlyear 8 °£ age * b « W ^^^ se i ^ e 4 , V"J * ank ^ i 36 d : ! I took them out of the workhouse . " " . AyyWd she , ' / ' God blessyou . f pr it ^ vf ; Now , iTawe » , " said I , "there is nothing distresses me' more than the idea of having brought a many and especially ^ armari witn young children , to poverty , and here is a gentleman , ( pointing to Mr Russell ); who has brought 501 . to pay you
down for tout allotment , and I'll send you back to Nottingham , to your native place , as , perhaps , you may do better there ' with that money . " " Nay , but , '' says the wife , stepping forward , "heshan ' t take it , nor any money ; I wouldn't leave it if it were ever so , the money would soon go and then we should go to the workh « use . again if we couldn ' t get work , and we can always get work here . " Come out , " she said in great glee , " and look at our four pigs . " She took me out and showed me four splendid pigs . I shook hands with them both , Tawes assuring me that he'd make it do , that he was getting to like it better and better every day . I then passed from house to house , conversing with all as to their
feelings , and not a single soul expressed the slightest dissatisfaction , but , on the contrary , all appeared to be happy , contented , and comfortable . Before I conclude I will tell you the number of pigs that each have , but firstly , I will give you a few of the conversations . Lambourne is an elderlyman and has a most industrious wife ; he expressed himself , not in words of contentment btit in words of thankfulness , and when I said , " Lambourne , what would you take to leave ? '' his answer was , " There'l be no use in naming money , as my wife wouldn't take as much as you could count . " Mr Sewell , Mr Russell , and myself
were perfectl y astonished , and more than delighted , with the healthful appearance of the children . Watson , a four acre man , who had advertised his allotment for sale , in the Star , told us that the cause of his wishing to sell was the notion that it would not be large enough for him and his father , but his father had left , and he wouldn ' t now take 120 Z . and be paid for the crop , as no one could be more happy than he and his father were ; he had five pigs , and had killed one that weighed thirty-two stone . Mann , a shoemaker , from Northampton , said he never was more happy in his life ; his wife said she never was so happy—had a
cow and five pigs upon two acres . Smith had mangel wurtzel , some of which measured thirty-two inches in circumference , and , as he said , quite puzzled the farmers . Evesham , an old man of seventy-four years of age , and I had || the following conversation . He was digging , and I said , " Come here my child . " I shook hands with him and said , "Why , how do you get on ? " "I am a boy again /' said he . " How old ,. are you ? " " Seventy-four . " "What were you ? " "A weaver . " "Well , which do you like , weaving or digging , best ? ' ' £ Why / , diggipg ,, and ! lejrhedr it sooner /'
^ : We 5 nftw , ^ cjubij ?> aid % ^ ten ^ hoJ 7 yotbfeekn / Jf . Whyi-happiei ! ; than ever the king felt in his . palace . ' . /' . ¦ WelL , what' would * you take to go back to the weaving again ?' "Why , they often ask me that and I always say 250 / . " "What , " said I , "for your two acres , surely you'd take 200 / . ? " '• No , not if you paid it down in my hand , and the reason why 16 ay 250 / . is , because that would be [ a lump of beef on the table that would just do for me to cut at while I lived . " In short , not a soul who did not appear more than happy , and Richardson , Cobbet ' s old cutler , showed me two rooms covered with the finest onions I
ever saw , and a quantity of vegetables still growing , while every man upon the estate had an abundant store of the very best potatoes . I said to Richardson / 'Well , now are you happy ?" " Kosciusko was never half so happy in his retirement . Look at my wife there , eightytwo years of age , that doesn ' t know what it is to be sick now , but was always poorly before . " I said to Fitzsimon , 3 a fine specimen of an Irishman from Manchester , " Well , my countryman , they tell me that you are complaining and unhappy too ?'• " Theybe d d , " says he , " they're bothering me here , writing , but I never mind them ;
we re too well off for them ; sure I never was so happy in my life . Come till I show you my two pigs . I ' m obliged to keep them separate , for they fight—this is the one I brought from Manchester—isn ' t she a fine baist . " " Now I'll tell you about the allotments that have changed hands . A man of the name of Pimm has purchased a four acre allotment , for which I think he paid 90 / . He has a very fine waggon , a tax cart , cart and horsey and takes the vegetables to the London market for the occupants . He has built a large range of suitable offices . A man of the name ofKeene has purchased a three acre allotment for 60 / . Mr Gamble
purchased a four acre allotment for 90 / . Mr Williams , a young man , but an old Chartist , has purchased a four acre allotment for 80 / ., and has erected an immense quantity of new buildings , and had bricklayers and carpenters at work . Another man purchased a four acre allotment for 90 / . Hornb y purchased a two acre allotment , but I don ' t know the amount he paid . Wheeler purchased a two acre allotment for 251 . Ireland purchased a two acre allotment ; I don ' t know the amount , but those selling have not lost much upon their 21 . 12 s . ; 31 . 18 s . ; or 5 / . 4 s . ; while those purchasing , have given to the Bank depositors an additional security of over l , 000 Z .
And now for the close . I dined with Wheeler off a cold bone of pork . He said lie had sent to the public house for a pint of ale for me . I asked him if it was good , and his reply was , that he couldn't tell , as he had not tasted anything but water for three weeks , as he never felt the slightest inclination for it now . I said , " Now Wheeler , tell me candidly which would you rather have , this allotment , or two pounds a week for doing nothing ? " and his reply was , " Upon my honour , I wouldn ' t exchange my situation for 3 / . a week . ' ' And now , my children , you shall have a list of the pigs belonging to those represented as starving paupers by the piessj : — Wheeler , 1 believe 7 Barber ... i Mrtchell ... u WaUon ^ 5 Ramsbottom ... 3 one killed , 32 stone . * " -. 4 Cole ... 6 Lambourne ... 3 Barneg „ Wcstaoreland - 2 Fitzsimon ... 2 G"ffi'h » ... 8 Crowder ... 10 «* mck ... 6 Smith ... 11 J « l « ... 2 M-nn ... 5 ' ° t - 1 and one Cow . £ nott - 4 Ford ... 1 ~ en . * three killed . HoroD J ... * Williams ... 3
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8 mt «> ... 4 House Thomas Smith ... 10 < jamWe " j Pocock ... 2 WallWMk ;;; j y ^ n '" 2 and one killed . and two Co « . Rlehtrdion 7 Heaton ... 2 Pimm , purchased of andone intnB . Opemhaw ... 2 Total-one hundred and fifty-four dead and alive . Now , my children , contrast the situation Qf those thirty-five men with thirty-five of their class not located upon the Comnanv ' s
? -f ? t SeaS <) wf year > and Jnthese ' lS K * Wh r ^ P re 8 ented n ^ e with a splendid . bouquet of . flowers , and I gave him something in returnnthat gladdened hiihearS and drove of with Mr Sewell and Mr Russell with three Cheers from the . occupants for the Charten and % eefor . the Land , ^ nd now , ^ histter , " Ardill , . Hobson , Bailey , the tiis . pat ^ o t the fjey il himself , shall ^ strate my yiew ^ ' l now ;' pr 6 cl ^ WS ^ wiW- ' " !!^ jiara&rtoMill ^^ v ^^ r ^^ Heii ^ Keir ifcpsfc ^ es » na ^ wt X witf VftfMMty rent for all out of ' my own pocket , ^ ivihg them
time till November to ^ epay it ; so that the rnffians ^ hall fiid that all their hellish machinations to retard my progress , and that of the Land Plan , shall fail . I have considered it fair to monopolise a large Iportion of the Star this week , because it is my intention to devote the whole of the next week to my constituents at Nottingham ; and as Parliament meets on the 18 th , ; between legislation , cultivation , and buildinghouses , my time will be sufficiently occupied . I think that I have now given the ruffians of the press , and their ruffianl y assassins , a dose that will last them till I have a little more spare time on my hands . Your affectionate Father , Fearous O'Connor . Minster Lovel , Nov . 3 , 1847 .
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• ¦ : Vi& / 7- / : - ' - ^ , . .. "¦ ¦ ' ¦ ¦ . / ¦ ¦' . ¦ ' • r » t ~ - . - ? T * r v ,, - *» '\ Andrews , fer bricks 2 18 0 '¦ Plaiterer and labourer , for Bohool "' 3 12 8 Paid for gand ] t \ 1 j 10 Carriage of bricks ... ... § i # 15 0 Bricklayer end labourer six and a half daj « 1 1 » 0 Putnam , on acceunt of privies ... l 18 0 " - Loan to Mr O'Connor ... .. 0 19 0 H \ ' Dr M ' Douall , wnires 2 0 0 vi Withdrawn from Bank ... ... 452 0 0 Gaj-fitter ' s bill at Bank and office ... 8 0 0 -I Directors ' wages , four weeks ... ... 32 « 0 X - \ Hewitt and Wheeler , four weeks ... 12 0 0 V \ AnnuitMitt , O'Connorville ... 2 8 0 l ^ Boonham , one month ' s wages ... 4 * 0 Gathard ditto ... .. 6 0 8 ^ John Clark , one week ... * 1 . 0 ^^ Paid allottees at O'Connorrille ... 275 10 0 \ . <\ & FaidatRedmarley , V . 16 2 . 10 ^\\ Bent , Dean-street ... ... ... 9 5 0 ^ - . \ Wages to DrM'Donall ... ... 4 10 0 .- '¦! Putnam , carpenter , on account of wheelbarrows ... . .. ; ... 10 0 , 0 Richardson , on account of garden teed 1 10 ; , JCS 63 . 6 . 0 ' . 1 Z' Now , Timkins , take the two weeks , the 2 oth of June and the 3 rd of July , and you will find it stands thus : — £ » " . •* . Acknowledged in the Stir fer the two . weeks . ... i # . ; ... 3 , 708 IS ; T } Received by the treasurer from secretary ... ... ... 2 , 840 8 7 *
Which leaves , Tomkins , a balance upon the two weeksof ... ,., £ 888 5 0 f Nowj Timkins , did your ever see a man ' s nose plainer on hi 9 face ?'; .- ( Tomkins , what ' s this meaning ! o £ loan to our bailiffof ten sliijlinfcs ?" . '" Why , Tomkins itmeans that our bailiff never touches the money , and I was in the office the same day when the bailiff came in , in a devil of a hurry and said , 'I say , Wheeler , can you give me ten shillings in silver , till I get down to my office , for I haven't a fraction . ' Tomkins , I smelljlbrimstone— I see a horrid figure before me , Tomkins—is it the devil , or is it Tom Bailey , Tomkins ? ' / it ' s both , Timkins , grinning at the balance sheet . ' ' But Tomkins , was there 452 / . drawn in one week out of our Bank ? ' 'No , Timkins . ' 'But how is that , how is that , Tomkins ? ' ' Now Timkins , take the balance sheet , and you will findt 19 th June , : £ . s . d . Received en account of land ... ... 742 1 5 Bank 541 4 6 Land Purchase ... ... ... 50 0 0 £ 1 , 338 5 11 SSS ^ SS ^
Now , Timkins , 400 / . of that money acknowledged for the Bank was paid in that week by Mr Dewhirst , of Leicester—there ' s the name for you , Timkins—and it was placed to his credit in the Bank , but it was intended for the Land Purchase Department . And now , Timkins , if you look to the account of the * next week , the 26 th of June , you will see the Land Purchase Department 440 / . ; so that you see , Timkins , these blunderbusseshave been poking
their fingers into two fires at the same time . Now , Tomkins , there ' s only one more item of 406 ? . on the 17 th of Jul y ? ' ' Now Timkins , mark the figures : — Mr Dunnage Expenditure , as per voucher and office 5 0 1 book 7 9 5 Rent of Bank and Land office ... 42 10 0 Paid Mr Cbinnery , for Stamp on Deed 350 0 0 Withdrawn from Bank , J , Grady ... 10 0 £ 405 19 ' 5
'What , Tomkins , our bailiff has Chinnery down 450 / . ' Yea , Timkins , and a precious sight more too . That ' s only up to that time ; and does ' t know man , that 450 J . charged b y the bailiff , and 350 / . paid by the secretary , is only 800 J . ; and the stamp of the deed alone , without lawyer ' s pay , and they don ' t work for nothing , Timkins , come to 900 / . Now , Timkins , how do you like the law expenses for satisfying Bailey , the ' Whistler , ' and Josh . Hobson ?' ' Eh , dear me , master Tomkins , v .-hy ever did they spend all that money , when we could do just as well and better without it ? ' ' True , Timkins , but you remember what a howl there
was at the bailiff to put us under the wing of the law . Now tell me , master Timkins , if ever in all your life you ever saw or ever heard of so plain and simple an answer to these rascally charges ? ' ' Never , never , never , master Tomkins . ' 'Now , master Timkins , just look at the 3 , 035 / . 7 s . l | d . that Old Bailey charges your bailiff with embezzling in eight months ; andfsee the five weeks that he has taken as instances , and there you'll find that the secretary has paid on account of ; the , Company in , those five weeks , the sum of 1 , 432 V lk i 8 | 'd . ; and that 4002 . of that is still represented in the Land Purchase Department ; and now , master
Timkms , write to Mr Dewhirst , Greenfield ; Leicester—as our bailiff always gives addresses , and I ' m blowed if our bailiff did ' nt tell me this morning that he'd take the secretary ' s book , with all the entries , and the banker ' s book , down to Nottingham on Monday next , and challenge Bailey to meet him before a committee of the Land members of Nottingham , with the balance sheet and the secretary ' s book . And now I'll tell you what , master Timkins , since figures w ere invented , no man ever saw such a balance sheet ; and our overseer , Mr Cullingham , said this to me , master Timkins , says he , ' There can be nothing in that balance
sheet that has not been paid by the bailiff , but there ' s scores of pounds that ' s not in that he has paid . ' Now , master Timkins , there ' s s large profit on printing , not a fraction for travelling expenses , not a fraction for advertising , not a Traction for plans , engineers , draughtsmen , pay clerks , and the hosts of vultures that always follow the funds of a company . Now , master Timkins , see what other companies have done , and what they have spent , and see what our bailiff has done with what h » has
spentand if the money was in other hands , the Company would have 'booked up' long ago , and a call would be made upon shareholders to pay off the cormorants . Now , master Timkins , we have nearly 150 cottages built , two splendid schoolhouses , the finest ' stock' of any Company in the world , and hand y to 50 , 000 / . to go on with , and every fraction of it bearing interest from the day it was paid . Now , Timkins , I'll give you a bit of Bailey ' s arithmetic . Now hear the way he professes to analyse a balance
sheet—We will now , however , spend a few minuteB , and it does not need that we Bhould spend many , on tho tedious , and , in a many portions , most ridiculous matter , wkich occupies the six columns he has devoted to defending himself from the strictures of the 'Mercury : ' for speaking in all honesty and fairness we cannot discover that in mere than two instances and both of them admitting of very natural explanation , has Mr O Connor caught us tripping , amidst al 1 the extensive calculations , analyzation , and speculahon we have entered into respocting the affairs of the Land Company during the hat six or seven W 66 K 3 * nf i nf i ° feT ?* « that in a certain lUt of expenses exhibited by us , wo entered 'Straw ? i Vn : ; i whe n m the balance sheet this ittm stood ' Cattle and Straw' to that amount
Now we admit the charge . as we drew it , to be literally mcorreot , but altogether disavow the motive for the entry attributed to us . Mr O'Connor says it was ' wilful , palpable , and corrupt falsehood . ' We say it arose from the impossibility of separating tho tvro c ' assea of subjects thus , incongruously , put to . gether . We were aware of the difficulty at the time , but imagining that it could not create much difference on tho general balance , and findin / j only a comparative small entry for straw besides this , we ventured to put down tho whole Bum for that article . Now this is the head and front of our offending in this particular . But if we added something to the cost of the cattle on this point , tho Bailiff himself admits that we were considerably below the amount in the gross sum we charged . Truly this is
quarreling about straws . flaying , as wo consider , satisfactorily disposed of that count in the indictment of' wilful perjury , ' wo pass to the next chnrge , which is founded on a quotation by us of an item , ' Juyal , £ 80 . ' Mr O'Connor s » ys ' there ' s no such . item , in the balance sheet . ' From this broad , unqualified statement . tho * T ) $ 8 g ! K _ weuld be led to believe that the nanffiyft ^ at i ^ nov ^ V y « i to be found in the balance sheet At ; all ,. witn ^ ainy / y J Ifc sum attached to it . Tot , the trutKTsv thjtfi tU 0 ex- ^ jf ( jtt tent of our sinning amounts to th ^ -wm . tt thig-. &l ' **;' , only , that we quoted the sum £ 10 . nioretHnn we in ' -. - , ^ fs tended to do . . ^ ' r V' k- , ;
Untitled Article
OUR BAILIFF AND HIS BALANCE SHEET .
TOM BAILEY . The unfortunate Tom Bailey That hung himself one morning in his papers . Be the hole in my coat , Tom , but you are a funny rascal , and , but I'll 6 end my linendraper ' s bill into you , for you make me burst my shirt laughing at you . Why , then , now , you poor misguided unfortunate individual , why couldn ' t you derive some slight consolation from the hope expressed by your townsmen on Wednesday night , that , by the application of emollients , sedatives , and restoratives , you might yet be brought to a state of sanity , | sobriety , and honesty . But , Tom , as you WILL be drowned , and you are determined that no one SHALL help you ; and , as you have ventured upon another cruise in a
leaky boat , you must bear the peltings of the storm . Again , I ask you , you great Tom fool , wh y you didn ' t stick to the bung hole and the vent peg , and keep your cock instead of the goose-quill in your hand ? It produced better stufi , Tom , and its effects soon passed away , . wiiile the ink from your goose-quill , stamps you as an irretrievable ass . % You poor thing , I was ready to do everything I could for you , but you won ' t be saved , and here goes to destroy you . Now , mind , Tom , I'm not going to hit you one blow , butjas they say that grocers' apprentices get surfeited with ' gooddies / I am going to choke you with your own sugar-stick . Now , Tom , here is the whole every word of your last raving , and I leave it to Tomkins , and Timkins to
answer—During the period we have been engaged on the subject of Mr O'Connor ' s ' balance sheet , ' as Treasurer to tbe so-called National Land Company , we have had . several attempts made by certain writers in the columns of a contemporary journal to draw us from bur game ; by iHTolving-us in a dispute with themselves- We . would-not wish , to bathjought aot ; ing'disrtspeotfully towards those , gentlemen , when we tell them that . wehavehat'time to » pare , just now , to turn aside , to knoek such small creatures as themselves on the head .
No ! no ! gentlemen ! the feint will not take with us : we are too old sportsmen to be led off our game by tricks of that kind . Let ua dispose of Mr 0 ' Connor first , if you please—which we feel that we Bhall be able to accomplish very soon , from the raging mood he is at present in ; and then , we may , perchance , honour you with a coup-de-grace , if you be still ambitious of martyrdom at our hands . In th-j meanwkile , Tomkins , we will take another ppell with you at the ' balance sheet . ' The debtor side—my dear fellow ! have you ever looked at the debtor side of this curious document ? Well , we felt concerned that you had not ! nor has one in five thousand of your associates—go as to attempt to understand it . We will therefore try and exolain a little of it to you .
But first , are you quite sure , Tomkins ! that all the money yourself and brother contributors pay , or have paid during the last tiro years , into the hands of the local Secretaries—and which are bo pompously announced , week by week , in the columns of the ' Stab '—always reach the treasury in full tale , and are appropriated to the objects you contemplate ? And now we will explain to you our motive for asking this question . In casting up the several sums » f money enumerated in the columns of the ' Star ' as having been contributed by individuals to the f uuds of the Land Company , for the eight months from the 12 th of December , 1816 , to the 14 th of August , 1847 , we find them in the grosB to exceed , by three thousand and thirty-five pounds seven shillings and three * halfpence , the sura acknowledged by the Treasurer through the General Secretarj .
As you appear , Tomkins , to be incrednlous on the subject , we will go into it rather more in detail . On the 19 th of December , then , the ' Star' acknowledged to have received , on account of the Land Company , £ 179 6 s . fid ., but the General Secretary passed to the debit of the Treasurer no more than £ 80 , 13 s . lOd . !—what became of the remaining £ 98 . 12 s . 7 d . ? Again , on the 27 th of March the ' Star ' acknowledged payments on account of land , £ 313 . 8 s . 8 d . ; Bank , £ t fi . 83 . 6 d . ; together , £ 587 . 10 s . 8 id .: but the Secretary to the Treasurer pastes to the
credit of the joint parties , for that day , no more than £ 526 . 7 s « lid . —we again ask , what became of the other . £ 61 . 2 s . 3 id . ? Take one more instance . On the 1 st of May , the' Star' acknowledges the receipts of the ' National Co-operative Land Company' to amount , for the week—to Land , £ 2 , 095 . 2 s . 3 d . ; Bank , £ 111 . 12 s . 7 d . ; together , £ 3 , 106 . Ms . lOd . Yet the Secretary gives the Land and the Bank conjointly credit for no more than £ 2 , 59 . 33 . 2 d . — dropping £ 147 . Us . 8 d . by the way—what beoame of this money ?
On the 26 thof June the 'Star' announced the receipts as follows ; Land , £ 1 , 130 . 13 s . lid . ; Bank , £ 168 7 s . 3 d . ; Land Purchase , £ 440 ; together , £ 1 , 739 . Is . 2 d . Yet the treasurer , through his secretary , passes to tbe account of the ' Co-operative Land Company , ' from all sources , no more than £ 1 , 019 . 16 s . ; creating a difference between the gross sam raised , from the three sources specified , and that for which the parties have credit in the books of 'Feargus O'Connor , Esq ., Treasurer and Bailifi to the National Co-operative Land Company , ' of no lees a sum than seven hundred and nineteen pounds five
shillings and twopence ! Again , on the 17 th of July there is a deficiency in tho accounts of £ 406 ( within & few pence ) . But we have not space to quote all the instances separately , of deficiency which we have found subsisting between the sums acknowledged in the columns of the 'Star , ' during the eight months referred to , and those passed to aceount by the Secretary of the Treasurer , —as they extend , in all , to thirty-one in number , varying in sums of from seven pounds to seven hundred pounds!—and amounting in the whole , as we bofore said , to three thousand and thirty-five pounds .
Now arc we not warranted m asking , in the name of thatportion of the contributors to the' Land Plan ' who give us their confidence—and we are happy to say they are no inconsiderable number—whal has really become of this large sum ? If disbursed in auy form—as stipends to Lecturers , or Secretariesas bonuses to Committeemen , or agents of any kind;—or if still remaining in the hands of Local Secretaries , as accommodation to them in their business , or otherwise , as an indirect way of re wardine their services , why is it not acknowledged in some way or other—either by note or direc t entry ! In any case , the absence of more than three thousand
pounds out of the sums contributed by the Co-operative Company during the short space of eight months , can no longer be tolerated without explanation . . We know that secretaries must be paid—that deputieB to conferencas will be paid—that directors will be paid too , —that committee-men , if regularly employed , will grumble unless they are paid , —that agents of all kinds will expect remuneration , — and that , above all , public leoturers engaged to travel about a country in order to 'beatup'in favour of any cause , will expect , and have a right to be paid . Let us tee then what the cost , is in the case of the Land Company , lot us have it fairly and openlv
stated how many thousands of the hard-earned shillings of the poor men who contribute towards , this fund , are weekly swallowed up tin their business of agencies of one kind or another , . , , ' ' , Here is oh the face of thesis accounts upwards of three thousand pquhdi whiohhas beensubsoribedby a class , —the honett industrial portion-of society , — for a special purpose ; whioh has not reached its destination ,. and of . the . explanation of which sum , up to . this time , po application is afforded either by the general secretary or ; tl » e trearoirer ! Iu their name ' we demand in'Mplinition . ¦¦ - " " «> iru « iuB . V ; It is ^ ossible ' that ^ iatfafeotorv ^ Ml ana « m *»
mgmn M tHffldiMHipanoies existing in- the aocounts alluded to . If so , we ihallon the tart of others as well as for ourselves , be perfectly satisfied ; we ask for nothing more , —we will have nothing lesi . Had we never heard , or read , anything of Mr O'Connor ' s book-keeping before , —of the management of his ledger , —of his first bringing ; a charge against a salesman for a debt of £ 2 , 000 oa account oHhe Northern Star , and for funds contributed for the defence ef Chartist prisoners , unaccounted for , — which demand was subsequently reduced to a sum little exceeding £ 1 . 000 . —then , as the investigation went on , to a smaller amount still , and so on , until ai length the once formidable claim , becoming
' Small by degrees and beautifully less , ' at last vanished clean away ; and instead of being claimant for £ 2 , 000 , the honest bailiff is reported to have tendered £ 250 to have the affair closed without further investigatioB , - < we say , had we not heard and read of such matters as these connected with the book-keeping of the' Treasurer to the Land Company , ' npr beheld such discrepancies in his accounts as are discernible in almost all parts of this balance sheet , we might not , or rather , perhaps , we may say we . certainly should not , have had our suspicions aroused to anything like the degree they now are as to its correctness .
At present we entertain the belief that the whole affairs of the Company , if strictly investigated , would exhibit an instance of the most shameful extravagance and culpable negligence , both in the keeping of its accounts aud the application of its funds , that ever disgraced any estabishment in this country ; and that the whole of the balance sheets hitherto issued by the treasurer are nothing but a record of jugglery and delusion : that these accounts have never shown what is the true financial condition of the Company or the value of its property , by many [ thousands of pounds , —that the secretary himself bas not known
what was the real condition of them at the time he vouched them with his signature—that members of the boasted Conference , at the time they have passed the accounts of the treasurer and secretary , have not known whether they were correct or not by thousands of pounds , —and that the all-sufficient , all-wiBe , treasurer himself did not know to ten thousand poundi how he stood with the Company at the time he was making his boasted declaration , at Nottingham and elsewhere , as to the extent of its funds , —we will make manifest to our readers and the shareholders in this Land Association , before we have done with the subject .
ffastefulnes , egetism , blarney , dissimnlatien , gullery , and corruption , characterise every part of itB proceedings . We will , therefore , for the sake of our poor deluded , oyer- j onflding countrymen , —for the Bake of common justice t ( I lose whs are unable to protect themselves , —for the honest gratification to ourselves of exposing knavery , detecting fraud , and denouncing hypocrisy , —cease not from laying bare to the scoffs and derision of an insulted
constituency , the unblushing arrogance , the unparalleled effrontery the immeasurable ignorance , the disgusting charlatanism . of the mendacious political adventurer , whom an accident ha ? elevated into the Beat of their representative to the great council of the nation , —until he shall be shunned by honest men of all conditions in British society ; when we will leave him to all the ignominy of convicted and selfaccusing guiltiness , —his name a terror to many , his fate a warning to all;— :
' Exalted o'er his lets abhorred compeers , And festej-ing in the infamy of jean . ' / Good morning to you , Mr Tomkins . ' ' The tbp > f . jKfe . morning , to you- , Mr Timkins . ' ' Wiiliy ' llffr ^ the . last niintber of' the Mercury >' : < Nay , Tim'kins , Bailey was convicted of wilful and corrupt perjury on Wednesday night last , by a jury of his townsmen , and I'll never read his liesj ho more . ' ' Well , but , Master Tomkins , figures is figures , and how will you get over these here ? ' ' Well , what he ' s they , Master Tomkins ? ' ? Why , see here , on the 19 th of December , the Mercury says that the Star acknowledged to have received on account of the Land Company £ 179 . 6 s . 5 d ., but the general secretary passed to the debit of the treasurer no more than £ 80 . 13 s . lOd . ; what became of
the remaining £ 98 . 12 s . 7 d . ? ' ' Wh y , J Timkins , thou fool , it went to pay the expense of fifty delegates from all parts ^ of England , Scotland , and Wales , that assembled at Birmingham . ' ' Oh 1 Tomkins , I thought they came there for nothing , and gave their time for nothing 1 ' ' Why , d—n thee , thou fool , baint they all working men , and where dos't think they'd get money to run about the country ? ' * Well , Mr Tomkins , don't be angry , but tell me how you account for the next item , £ 61 . 2 s . 3 ^ d . on the 27 th' of March . ' ' Here , thou d—d fool , take this here . book of our bailiff in thy hand , and see-if -it ' agrees with lmlance sheet of secretary ^ and entries in Master King ' s book , that was at O'Connorville . ' J £ , b . d . To Mr King , to pay men at
O'Connorville ... ... ... 30 0 0 Rent of offices in Dean-street ... 9 5 0 Advance to occupant to be located ... 5 0 0 Paid Dunnage , on account of work done to new offices of Land Company .,. 16 0 6 Acknowledged too much from llochdale last week ... ... ... 7 4 3 £ 61 9 S ' Now , master Timkins , there ' s 61 ? . 9 s . 3 d ., making an error against our bailiff of 7 s . Here are figures , master Timkins , and these are sums paid by the directors . ' ' Well , master Tomkins , God forgive Tom Bailey , but let us go on to the next item , on the 1 st of May —147 ? . 11 s . 8 d ! Well , take this here book : —
* . 8 . d . Paid lleaten , Mitchell , and Oddy , occupants at O'Connorvillo ... ... 8 0 0 King , for wageB at O'Cannorville ... 19 0 0 George Wheeler and Hewitt , clerks , ) four weeks ... ... .. 12 0 Directors , four weeks' wageB ... 32 0 0 Withdrawn from Bank .. ... 26 11 8 Dunnage , for work done at Bank and Landomco ... ... ... 30 0 0 Current expenses for the month .. 20 0 0
£ W 7 _ U 8 ' Why , master Tomkins , if it baint just the ticket , but if I was ' nt fool enough to think that all the men worked for nothing at O'Connorville and in the office , and that the directors took no wages , and that our bailiff paid all out of his own pocket that was withdrawn from the Bank , and that the tradesmen in London were cutting each other ' s throats to
see who should do the work for nothing , and that the current expenses , to pay for postage , stationary , parcels , porters , and all the rest of it , was all got out of the stones . ' « Thou ' rt a d-d old fool . Wh ydoes ' nt write to Laud Uihce , and pay twopence for a balance sheet , and then thou'd see what secretary pays . Why , man , he pays for all except land and houses . ' < Don ' t be angry , Tomkins , but the next sum is such a wallopper for one week , that I should like to hear your opinion of it . ' ' Well , what is it ? ' 'Why , 719 / . 5 s . 7 d . 'Well , here , take secretary ' s book * : —
To Tbe Members Of The National Land Company.
TO TBE MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL LAND COMPANY .
Untitled Article
^ .- ¦ . VM .,.,, / PI V- / - ' ¦ ' ^ W * ' AND NATIONAL TRAMS' JOURNAL . 524
Untitled Article
IL I lolsmrtossion I havenot hare ^^ jL LONDON , SATURDAY , NOT 1 EMBEF 6 ~ 847 ~ ¦ wura FmSSTi ^ 7 ^ . LTXxyjj XV Ui IP */ . Rye Shilling and Sixpence per Qnartei
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Nov. 6, 1847, page unpag, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1443/page/1/
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