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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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xekrk Stab used to go away on Saturday with 10 Us from-John Ardill : for payment of wages . ( Shouts of * Shocking . ') Well , when the printer haa gone away without money , I have taken a bag of money on the same day to pay into the bank , to P » y deposits on railway Bbarea for John Ardffl . ( Groans and shouts of Too bad- ' ) But , my mends , if you wiBh for a proof of this man ' s honesty . ril give xt yon , and Mr O'Connor never heard of it before . Ardill ' s expenses were always charged to Mr 0 Connor when he went to Leeds upon his own cosiness , and I find in one instance this charge : — « Railway fare , £ 1 . Cab to the station , 2 a . 10 d .. ' Now I was the cab —( great laughter}—aad I carried iij luggage to the station , and walked there with
him ; and when a man will wrong his employer of ¦ hillings , you may be sure he won't stop at pounds . ( ' Shame , shame , shame . ' ) Well , Mr O'Connor has appealed to me as to the charge of his falsifying the bonks . I admit that the books are falsified to an amount that no man can tell , bat I am also prepared to swear upon my oath , that there is not one figure or one letter of Mr O'Connor ' s in any book connected with the accounts of the Northers Sue from its commencement —( vehement cheering and waving of bats)—and I am also here to say , that since Mr O'Connor entrusted the accounts to me not a main connected with the establishment has ever left the office on Saturday night without his wages in full—( cheers and' Brave '}—and , let me tell yon , that ' s no
small advantage to a working man . Well , friends , it was their custom tosack every man that knew anything of their doings , and when Ardill was turned off he wrote a letter to me , and said , 'Tell O'Connor that you'll leave him if he doesn't rise your wages . ( Groans . ) He knows that his nephew can ' t keep the books , and tell him that you are offered a better situation on the Railway . ' ( Tremendous seasation , shame , shame . ' ) Well , I am happy to tell you that I never asked Mr O'Connor for arise in my wages , as he doesn't wait to be asked when he can afford it , but that he has rose it twice this year with ant being asked . ( Cheers and shouts of * Bravo . ' Now I have told the truth , the whole truth , and nothing but the truth , and what I am ready to swear
to in a court of justice , and I am ready to answer any question that may be asked of me . ( Shouts of 'Well done , ' and tremendous cheering . ) A person on the platform rose and asksd why Mr Mr Rider hadn't communicated those circumstances to Mr O'Connor before ? Mr Ridek replied : I'll give you three reasons . In the first place , nothing could shake Mr O'Connor ' s confidence in these men ; in the second place , he never would listen to any complaint from one man of another in his . employment ; and the third was , that I was a subordinate , and it might appear as if I was looking for their situation , and I ' m not a man of that kind . ( Loud cheers . ) Mr Johssos asked Mr O'Connor whether he coald tell when the Land Flan was likely to be enrolled ?
Mr O'Coshob replied that it would be registered when these men who had the greatest interest in having it registered had Bieaed it . It was a monster deed ; it would have 18 . 000 signatures ; and as soon as the members chose to sign it it would be iminediately registered . Then the whole of the property would pass over from Feargus O'Connor to the trustees ; and then , thank God , he should dissolve into the more delightful element of unpaid bailiff , and hare nothing to do with the funds . He added , at a further stage oi the meeting , that nearly all the ¦ hares of the Nohihxrn Sub had been paid ia fall , and that if any man had a share , he had only to send it in , in order to receive payment to the ' day at the rata of ten per cent
Mr Surra asked whether the Land Scheme was the result of experiment or of speculation , —whether it had been tried before , or in any other country , and whether it had teen successful ? as if that question Was answered satisfactorily , he , ( Mr Smith ) was determined to take oat a four-acre share . _ Mr O'Cohsor replied that it had been tried , quoad individuals , in eTery country in the world ; bat it had never been tried on the co-operative principle , which gave it double or treble power . He would give him an illustration . In Belgium , the usual tenure is a nine years' lease ; and there for one , two , or three acres of _ bad land , a tenant will pay £ 4 , £ 5 , and £ 6 an acre , and no house upon it . ^ Daring these nine years it may be almost considered a practice for the
finsbacdman to save enough of money to purchase a part of his holding , for which he pays at the rate of £ 200 , £ 2-50 , £ 500 , and in many cases as high as £ 500 an acre . In Prussia , in Switzerland , in France , and ia almost every country in Europe , except England , the small farm system fs found to be the best substitute for poor laws , —( loud cheers)—and in England , he would make the system more perfect than in any other country ia the world , because he tiould have theadrantage of co-operation , and the occupant would have the advantage of his house being in the centre of his allotment , while many foreign occupants live ata distance of one , two , and threemiles from their labour field . * He went on to contend that the land was the most profitable thing to which a man could devote his labour . Any person who staid a year on one of their allotments would not take £ 400 for it at the end of the year . He would
undertake that an industrious man , of moderate strength , would support his wife and five children Upon the best of food , and have £ 50 , £ 60 , or £ 70 , over every year , upon four acres of hind . Af ter some remarks on the value of labonr , and some further , observations on the manner in which the money was invested , A Woiuusa Mah in the gallery said , he knew s man near the Lancashire Independent College , who kept himself and wife and seven children , and a servant , on a single Cheshire acre ef land . He was now building himself a splendid cottage on it ; He was with him on Sunday . That man was formerly & spinner at Ancoats . He used to get 18 a . a week , but he wonld cot go back now he ia doing so well : in fact , he had a piece of beef * n his table last Sunday ! a d—d sight bigger than ever come 3 en my table . ( Cheers , and great laughter . )
Another man in the nailery here shouted out , ' Here is some money : will you have it f ' Mr O'Coksob said he would have all the money they liked to send him . A third a-sked whether an application had been made for money to be returned , and it was refused ? Mr O'Cossob paid that a letter was received from the No . 4 Engineers' branch , by the morning ' s post , the money sent the same day , and an acknowledgment of the receipt of it was received the next morning . The Skcbsubt to the branch , who stood on the platform , and said he wrote the letter applying for the return of the money , confirmed this statement . In answer to Mr Rawlissok , Mr O ' Coxkor said , a member would be entitled to a" vote for the county about six months after the conveyance was made out to him .
Mr Rawuxsos then roje to move a resolution . He said he had been an admirer of Mr O'Connor for the last eleven years , and waa eo still ; that he bad been prevented from joining the Chartist ranks formerly , in consequence ofeeeingsome of the leaders intoxicated on the platform , he himself being a teetotaller , and when he did join , being solicited to pay hfa money in Manchester , he said' No , he wauld cbtrust it to that man for whom he had the greatest respect—that man was Mr O'Connor . ' ( Hear , hear . andcheer 3 . ) Those drunken characters , too , were no longer to be seen on their platforms ; the men who best advocated Chartist principles being total abstainers . Mr O'Connor had come forward to advo : cate andlay down apian for the working men . whereby they conld emancipate themselves if they would from their present position , and he felt it his duty to award his
( Mr Rawlinson ' s ) meed of approbation to him for it . He said he had had a resolution put into his hands which he would read . It was to the effect that , in the opinion of the meeting , Mr U Unnor had most triumphantl y and satisfactorily met the charges brought againBt him , both as to his public and private character ; the meeting , therefore , rendered him thejr sincere thanks and most affectionate regard for hb constant efforts to improve and ameliorate the position of the working classes , and for , at all times and at all seasons , amidst all difiiculties and dangers , having proved hinuelf the true benefactor of his species . ( Great cheering . ) He begged leave to move the resolution , for he did think that Mr O'Connor had honourably met the charges which had been brought against him from a eentleiran terming himself the « Whistler at the Plough . '
Mr J .-O'HEa seconded the resolution vril ' u gtestt pleasure , because there was a time when the working men of his own country , on that very platform , wonld have shed his blood if they could for advocating the very principles which their forefathers would have died for . Now , however , not halfa-dozen hands wonld be held up against him . He . ( Mr O'Hea . ) had seen the time when Mr O'Connor battled with the aristocracy of Cork , and turned his own relatives from friends to the Terjr worat of enemies against him . They would now , however , welcome him te their bosoms whenever he thought proper to visit Cork again . The Chaibhas then put the resolution , in favour of which every person in the hall appeared to hold up his hand ; then ' the contrary , ' but not a single hand was raised . The result ' ot the vote was liailed with much cheering .
Mr Rixsra said he had to propose a resolution , which he did with great pleasure , and , in reference to the fitness of those who had audited the accounts of Mr O'Connor , said they could look pyer ^ a balance sheet ; as ; well as any editor or ^ j ^ rieter pf ' anv newspaper .. He moved hispsdlfiRdn because"he oonsidered . that Mr O'ComftrJ ^ ffi fiie"legal actions fie entered against any ^ jrep ^ jjer , ought to'be 6 ^ i ?? * 1 «» V' ^ ee .. The' resolution pledged the meeting to . sappbrf Mr O'Connor in . the action how pending against the Manchetter Exai miner . ' ¦ ' : ¦ - - ' ¦» - *
> . ?* Qssfea ^ jmb-secretary totheNational Charr £ Ar&H" % § # SW » ded the motion , and said he felt « ot j ^ £ tj $$ bijrtists of Manchester would not ¦ gl ^ HPiPf . V * P of sivug Mr O'Connor
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Mr O'Hka . wished to add the words ' and all other * papers to the resolution ; The Chadbuh said that some one had antici pated him in the matter of the subscription , forafew working men had subscribed £ 1 . 2 s 6 d . ( Hear , hear , and cheers . ) The motion was then put and carried unanimously . . : Mr O'Coshob returned thanks , not , he said , for the honour the meeting had conferred upon him , but for the able , discriminating , and impartial manner with which they had discharged their own duties . Be had twice been returned to represent his native county , when opposed by members of the aristocracy , but there never was a finger ' s length of slander passed upon him . No man unon the platform had
ever seen him drank . The character he had earned in Ireland he brought to England with him , and he now was assailed by the greatest ruffians who ever lived—fellows that would rob him and suck his blood . After passing some further strictures upon the conduct of Messrs Hobson and Ardill , and speaking of the Northern Stab and its ' undeviating consistency , he said that should the Land Plan eo to-morrow , the Stab should survive'to make the Land Flan prosper once more . As long as he lived the Stab should be what it ought to be , and so long as it had the confidence of those he saw before him , he defied ths Manchester Examiner . The fool who had been writing in that paper had greatly injured it . for he pledged himself , now the row was over , that no working man ef Manchester wonld henceforth read
it . And , ( said Mr O'Connor , ) in conclusion , I have only to observe , that if the shareholders of Manchester wish for the inspection of my accounts , every account connected with the monies of the Company , they need notwait for the formality of aba ' ancesheet , they mar , upon any day in any week , select the three best and most competent book-keepers and aocountants in Manchester , send them down to Minster LoTel to him , ( Mr O'Connor . ) without notice , he would pay the whole espence of auditing , and be oreoved to submit every document connected with the funds of the Company , and to show how every fraction was expended , and that the surplus funds were invested in Exchequer Bills . ( Loud cheers , and cries cf 'Nay , but we don't want any other book-keeper or accountant , but our own
bailiff . ' ) He thanked them again for the confidence they had reposed in him , for he would sever forfeit the confidence of the working . ' classes . " ( Cheers . ) He was prepared then ; he said , to receive any amount of money they were' prepared to give him . Previous to resuming his seat , Mr O'Connor ' read the following letter from Mr Towhley referred to in his speech : — ' , 317 , Regent-street , Itndon , 23 rd October , 184 " . Deae Sib . — - ¦ .. ! My brother wishes me to let you know the particulars of Somerville ' s conduct to me . He came to me recommended , as he said , by Mr Gee . Rogers , of St Sites ' . I felt great sympathy for him . I believe I gave him two half-crowns that day , and he seldom came without my
assisting bun to a certain extent , in fact , I generally gave him hal&a-crown , and my table was always at bis service ; his object seemed to be to get up meetings for the . abolition of flogging . I was very ready to aid him in anything in that way , therefore went about with him to many places for that purpose . I took him to Mr Hunt , and had along internew , who agreed to become chairman if an opea air meeting could be pot up , though he thought it would not be well-timed . ' That part of Somerville ' s conduct which I consider will not bear scrutinising is the following : —I had been with him one evening , accompanied by a friend , Mr Asham , bookseller , of Chancery-lane ,, to Mr Savage , ofthe New Road , to endeavour to get up a meeting in Cireus-street ; it was a very : foggy night and we returned late , and Somerrille was locked out of his lodgings in Oxford-itreet , and it was arranged , ; as neither ofus could give htm a bed , that he should sit up in an arm chair , twfore a good fire in Asham ' s parlomr , or , if he preferred reading , there were plenty of books in tha shop ; fthat be seemed to . prefer , betas very fond of
books . It ' s an old saying , and frequently true , that the looser is the greatest sinner , and I hope my friend Asham was in the same position , as he always declared , when speaking of the circumstance , that he lost several books that night , but whether it was that or the fact of havragborrowedaDoolcof me which he did not return , I don ' t Know , but I nerer saw Mm more until I met fc'm , by chance , in Holbern . I charged him with having sold the book , and he looked very confused . I did not hesitate to charge him with ingratitude for having sold the book , ( which he did not deny , ) telling him that it was an act of folly as well as wrong , as if he had come to me , I would have given him more than he could possibly make of the book . It may be asked why wedid not make a stirabout it at the time ; we had two reasons for not doing so . The first was , its being so trifling an amount ; the next was , it might have injured the cause of Radicalism to think that we associated with such a scamp . I remain , dear sir , yours very truly , KlCHABI ) ToWMET .
P . S . —Another reason for having noticed Somerville ' s condnct is the industry he seems to have bestowed upon your words , " robbing man , " &c . It often occurs that the most guilty party is the first to cry " stop thief , " It was then stated by the chairman that some persons ( we could not learn who , in consequence of the confusion which then prevailed through persons preparing to go awsy ) had subscribed a certain sum towards the prosecution against the proprietors oi the Manehezttr Examiner . . ¦¦ ¦•¦ . A vote of thanks was then given to the chairman , who returned thanks and declared the meeting dissolved .
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The following is the description giving b y the Nottingham Review : — A public meeting was assembled in the Exchange Hall , on Wednesday evening , to hear Feargus O'Connor , Esq ., defend his Land Plan and Bank against the attacks of the editor of the Nottingham Mtrcwy and others . At half-past six the doors were opened , and in a very few moments the room was filled with a tide of human beings which immediately rolled in . After some delay , at twenty-five minutes past seven , Mr O'Connor made his appeura . hce , and shouldering his way through the crowd , took his position on the plat '
form , amid the loudest vociferation and applause . Mr Jauks SwsBT i haying been voted into the chair , opened the procfedihlis with the following address-Fellow Townsmen . ^ feel the responsibility of the situation ^ S ^ iT , ' said Mr O'ConnorV ^ in which you hajajipiwTne this evening ; - Mr O'Connor is come h ^ Wa ^ h ' istraduwrB . MtO'Cmnorneverfearea to'fieit his enemy in a pubiiomw ^ ng of his fellow : c 6 ptryirien . Mr OToBWlr ^ nwelO : » ight to meet these gentlemen , if anYof ^ mTarey prwpnt upon the present upohtnUwJWO ^> Ia » ToinTi ted those eentletnen priT . tay / an . lptiW ^ ly ' by handbill . I « ek if Mr Bailey Ts ^ ere ^ i ' evening to ' substantiate those chartes whwhhehas laidagainst Mr O'Connor ? ( A Toioe , ' He ' s si Batfowl . ' ) I ask alw if Mr Job Brad-
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shaw is preient upon this occasion t Because , sb we have nothing to lose ; we have nothing '• tofear in meeting these gentlemen m publiodiscussion . ( Hear , hear . ) Tpromise . on my part , as the chairman of this meeting , to give every gentli man a fair opportanity of addressing it . _ ( Hear , and cries of We will . )' I think , my friends , I may pledge the same on your part , that yon will patiently hear the charges which these ' gentlemeii may have to make . ( Applause . ) We'll hear the charges , if any ; and then we'll proceed to the defence . ( Hear . ) If there is no person here on behalf of those gentlemen , of coarse we shall proceed todefend ourselves from their attacks . We char ge the press ! the base , the brutal press , —a creat portion of the ' pregs of Nottingham—we charge
theBe gentlemen with tergiversation , misrepresentation , and vile calumny . ( Loud applause . ) We tell these gentlemen that we have now arrived at this pitch , that if they cannot , speak the truth , we will bare them up to the bar of public opinion , and we will burn their paporsin the Marketplace —( Hear , heir ) —and we te ) l them that we will drive their papers out ofevery place of our resort . ( Loud applause . ) I will not trespass oh your time ; I know you are impatient to hear Mr O'Connor . Mr O'Connor last night spoke for three hours and a half ; and I thank God that he ' s got the stamina about him and will lash the thieves for three hours and a half tonight . ( Laughter and applause . ) My friends , I am thanktil to tell you that the response was nearly ' £ 1 , 100 .
ast night ; and I myself have received enough to bay one good hone , and something towards a cart to attach to it , —( hear , hear , and load laughter)—and if they will only hammer at us a few weeks longer , we will shew them what metal we are made of . ( Hear , hear , hear . ) I shall now have the great plea * sure of introducing to your notice your highly respected representative , for he'll never deceive you . 'No . ' aBdapplanseO'The fustian jackets , the blistered hands , and the unshorn chins' will have his best attention . I can declare , after watching Mr O'Connor s progress for eleven years , ' that he never de < eeiyed me , that he never will deceiveyon , beoause I believe your good opinion is above all price to him . If Mr O'Connor could be bought , the scoundrel press would raise thirty , forty , or fifty thousand pounds , subscriptions in the course of a week to get shot of him out of the ' country . ' ( Loud plaudits . ) The scamps tried to hire murderers last night'to murder him . ( Cries of Shame I ; Shame ! ' ) We tell the T 171 . !_ .. ¦ J __ j . _ ll 1 . 1 .-: m . « - _ __ J . i -a '« . L . LJ . l Whigsand tell the Toriesand tell
, we , we every ; other faction , that the time is come that the people will hold them responsible for their acts ; and that if they dare to injure the head of Mr O'Connor , we'll hold no life toe sacred , no property sacred . Loud applause . ) I am not a physical force man ; that is not physical foroe ; that is merely standing on the defensive . ( Laughter . ) Physical force is the order of the day with our enemies- ( hear)—but the knowledge which through the glorious luminary of the Star has been spread abroad in the minds of my countrymen , has armed them double for the fight —( rapturous applause )—has armed them morally to ubdue their foes ; has armed them socially to redeem themselves and friends . ( Hear , h 6 ar . ) Politically Bpeakin ? , we are determined to be free . ( Loud plaudits . ) We will never rest satisfied until our rights are concededto us- < hear)—and if they begin to use coeroion again , they must take the consequences . ( ' Bravp ! ' ) I have great pleasure in introducingour tried friend , MrO'Cennor . ( Loud cheering . )
F . O'Connor , Esq ., on rising , was greeted with the most enthusiastic plaudits . He commenced his speech as follows : —Mr Chairman and my friends ; this night ' s assembly is a legal paradox . For the first time in the history of this country , or in the practice of the law , the defendant charged with hein . ous crimes , stands up and calls for his accuser and his evidence ; and the usual practice ef the law is ^ that none appearing , the charge shall be dismissed—( applause)—but a 91 have always reversed the order of things , as far as you are concerned ; I ' stand here , not a whimpering , puling culprit , but a proud and manly accuser . I suppose , my friends , that in the history of the newspaper press there Beyer has been the same amount of Blander , of vituperation , of
calumny , und misrepresentation heaped upon the head of any one man , that has been attempted to be heaped upon my head —( hear)—and in proportion as your enemies assail me in the same proportion will you esteem and honour me . ( Prolonged applause . ) Mr Sweet has told you that he gave due notico and a summons , that , all other | businesa being laid aside , Mr Thomas Bailey should appear to substantiate his . charges here to-night ; and there was one remarkable passage in Mr Sweet ' s speech , which was this : —That as he does not come , we shall proceed to defend ourselves : —that is , that if I am charged with being guilty of fraud , you are chargeable with folly for having confided in a rogue : —you are included in this indictment , as well aa me ; and my friends ,
whether electors ' or non-electors of Nottingham , I thank God that I think I add dignity to the senator , by standing here before you upon . this occasion .. I am Hot one of those representatives of money , of capital , of prostitution and venality , who thinks he is exalted for having received the prostituted votes of a corrupt constituency . ( Hear . ) I have always told the working classes that my honour was secure because they should be the tribunal to whose judgment I would appeal . Upon many occasions I have been tried by the law , before packed juries , and I have always been convicted , thank God !—( laughter)—but this is a ury too large to be packed , too . virtuous to be bribed . ( Hear , hear . ); Last night ten thousand
men were disappointed , who hoped tdget into a place capable of holding only five thousand , and when I was addressing a hall full of people inside , Dr M'Deuall was addressing ten thousand people outside . ( Cheers . ) Mr Sweet has told you that my assailants at Manchester tried to suborn and bribe some navvies there to destroy me—( 'Shame , shame ') —but the man who is afraid of assassination will always be the first to fall by the assassin ' s blow ; while he who faces him proudly , will frown him out of countenance and stay his arm . ( Hear , hear , hear . ) I am sorry Mr Bailey is not here : but as he is not here , I shall first proceed to meet every one of his charge ? , and then , according to the old Irish practice , 83 soon as I have purged myself of these
charges , I will walk into him in a way he is little irepared for . ( Cheers . ) This sentimental Mr Bailey has issued a kind of apology for not being hero to night , and now , my friends , mark the Englishthe education of one of the public instructors , who is not able to put the commonest sentences into the plainest English . ( Laughter . ) Mark , now , if I had no other evidence to convict this man of folly , of ahehood , and of ignorance , this would be enough . ( Hear , hear . ) He says The Press , the Press ; the Press is the palladium ef the liberty of Englishmen . It can command an audience when every honest man is excluded . ' What do you think ot that ? ( Roars of laughter . ) In other words—I , Tom Bailey , Esq ., wiBhforan audience of rogues and foolsfor me to
, plead my cause before , because the press has the power of excluding anything thut is honest in its audience . ( Hear , hear !) Then he " . goes on to say , To the press , then , I appeal , as the proper ' medium for discussing the question at present in controversy between Mr O'Connor and myself . ' Noquestion whatever between us ! . If I wanted a controversialist , I would look for a man who mifihtwhet my appetite for controversy : but if I am to have a controversy with a man who cannot- write English / that cannot speak common sense , it would be no honour for me to have a controversy with him . ( Laughter and cheers . ) Then he talks about a packed and excited public meeting . ' . He calls you a packed and excited public meeting ! Well now , my friends . 1
agree that the press ought to be the palladium of public liberty ; and when I revile the , press for dereliction of duty , I contend thereby not against tlie whole . 1 believetuero isarabble ' ofallcla * se « , — ' of the Lord ? , Commons , Church , aristocracy , middle classes , and of the people ; but it is that the rabble may learn virtue from those who are the virtuous of their clas « , that I seek to support what is virtuous in the press , against what is not , ( Hear . ) But what d « you think of a press that charges a man with everything that is corrupt and specious ; and then reviles the only means that the law resorts to as a fair means of proving the guilt or innocence of a party ? ( Loud outcry . ) This poorcreaturesays' 1 will meet him in discussion with my quill '—the most proper arms for a
goose ! ( Laughter . ) But he says , ' I will not meet him in diBcussion . ' Now what does the law say ? It says that every man ' s accuser shall appear before the face of the accused -that the judge and jury may be allowed to judge from the manner and appearance of the witness whether his evidence is true . ( Hear ) I place myself here , not more to purge myself irom his weak charges , than to answer any question that may be put to me . I stand here , not because I think Thomas Bailey is game worth flying at;—lam only sorry , as I nave corae here , that I have not come on a better errand ; 1 wish my accuser was a man of some metal , some weight , some power , some substantiality . ( Hear . ) Therefore he is only the instrument that brought me here ; you are the cause of my visit .
( Loud applause . ) I went to Manchester last night upon the same errand , and the vote of censure I brought aVay from Manchester was 1 , 070 sovereigns . ( Rapturous applause . ) And yet this poor little drivellingthiiiK , who only Bold 287 Nottingham Mirmritl Ia 8 tweek- < laughter ) - not satisfied with wallowing in its own mire , and stirring up its own little stagrianlrpool with its little pot-stick—( loud laHghterH talks of the impression it is making upon the nation at large ! ( Cheers and laughter ) Only imagine the impression that the Nottingham Mercury is making on the world at Jarge ! ( Roare of laughter . ) My frienda have old
, we an song about the anfortunate Miss Bailey , that hung herself in her garters ; and I have no doubt . When I have done with this unfortunate quondam beer-seller , he will hang himself some morningin hispapers . ( Shouts of applause . ) I honoar a man in his lawful calling ; but when he steps out of his way , and cannot support himself in his new prsition , he becomes contemptible . The hiehera monkey climbs , toe more he shows his nose- ( loud aughter ) -and as long as Mr Bailey confined hlmwlf to selling beer and sweetening gin , he may have h « n amostrespecUble tap-bo , ; butth . moaenthe becS This man , presuming upon the shield of Ewn
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insignificance , say s'the Hand Plan , as founded by Mr O'Connor , is insecure ; and we have warned the i « oplo not to plaoe theirinoney at' Mr O'Connor ' s dis D osal . We have told them of the fragile grounds upon wn ich his scheme is based . ' And in last week ' s Star T bo analysed the mud in this fellow ' s brain , that if he has any decenoy about him , be will not handle a pen for the next six months . His last paper is the most rabid , the most incomprehensible one of all . ' I will analyse all these before I have done ; and then , if I leave old Bailey anything more than a scarecrow to frighten the crows from the corn fields , 1 shsll say I have not done my duty . ( Hear , hear , hear . ) To hear this creature ' arguing , you would suppose that men who made lace , lived
upon lace ; that men who made railways , lived upon rails ; but that men who grew corn should be able to live upon bread , waB out of the nature of things , And then Mr Bailey has such a tender feeling , —looks so to the dignity of the working classes , and their elevation : and yet will not relieve , the labouring olatsei by giving them the land . ( Loud applause . ) But step , this quack has attempted a little book , as well as a newspaper , entitled , ' Riqhtb p ? Laboub , ' and when we are trying to ' discharge ourselves of XT . OOOiOJO . a year , paid in the share of poor rates ' , what' do you . think this politioal economist proposes as a remedy ? why , seventeen millions four hundred thousand a year .. ( Roars of laughter and derision . ) But wait till you hear the means to an end ;
£ 13 , 400 , 000 . ef a legacy duty —( laughter ) r-there ' s an actuary for you ! Why this incomprehensible thing presumes that after the three first years ' one half of the aristocracy would die every year . Oh , but stop a bit , you haven't heard how the other £ 1 , 000 , 000 . a year is proposed to . be raised by '' this Republican , ChartiBt . Radical , Whig , Tory ,. everything , anything , nothing , politician—by this sentimental tapster—this scientific editor—this accurate aotuary—this nondescript calculator—this ' unfortunate Tom Bniley . ' ( Roars of laughter and cheers . ) Now just listen how this philanthropist is going ' to relieve the working d'asses of seven millions a year paid by the upper and middle classes , —why , actually by making them pay it themselveB . ( 'Oh , oh , '
and 'Well done , Tom . ' ) This other four millions , he proposes to raise by a tax of a pound a head upon all who choose to buy the Suffrage . ¦ ( Tremendous laughter . ) Now what do you think of tbat ? and yet thishf what Tom Bailey is pleased . to dignify by the name of COMPLETE SUFFRAGE . Now , theni was I much ' wrong when I designated tbat mysterious thing aa COMPLETE HUMBUG ? Why , the ; middle classes very reluctantly- p ^ y their rates to get their votes , while the poorer classes are to farm it out at ah annual rental in lieu of poor rates . Well , but there ' s worse than that . Tom says that the peer and the peasant should equally pay £ 11 , and why , do you think ? , what reason do yon suppose this man of progress gives ? why , no other than that ,
if it were not so the peer would have a'RIGHT to a plurality of votes . ( Great laughter . ) Now , then , what do you think of the stagnation to be produced by the progress of Tom Bailey ? £ 17 . 400 , 000 . a year as a substitute for seven millions a year , and the poorest of the poor to pay four millions a year of ., the tax now levied upon the rich ; and this , too , while we are trying to relieve the present . electors from the burden of the rate- paying clauses . How much more justice , then , must the rich expect from the government ef the poor than the poor , have experienced from the government of the . rich ? ' . ( Tremendous cheering . ) Is not this , then , an unintentional commendation of the People | s Charter byTom Bailey ? ( Cheers . ) Nowthere ' s law for you ' . there ' s science ivi bude i iui wvio ?
juu ; o » cjjgiu « yvu .. puiivaupuj for you ! there ' s erudition for you ! ( Loudcheers . ) This is the mode by . which Tom Bailey would elevate the working classes ' ; he would make them like young bears—live upon , sucking their own paws . ( Laughter . ) Mr Bailey tells you how much horses coBt ; that a horse eats ; that carpenters get wages ; that builders get wages ; that ironmongers wont sell stoves without money—( laughter)—and says , ' why , good God ! how horrible ! how monstrous ! here is money paid to carpenters and builders for building cottages for the people ! ' ( Loud laughter . ) Is it not shocking ? ( Laughter . ) 'Why , my eye 'Timkins says to Tomkins , — ' but the poor folk have no brains , or they would see that all these houses co 3 t money , and are not to be built for riout V
He thinks potatoes are to be bought ,: and houses built , by magic!—but then we ought to excuse this man , and if he had been here to night , instead of skulking , I should not have dealt so hardly with him . I would have , treated him like a child ; like a babe ; like an idiot ; I would have patted him on the back ; I would have chucked him under the chin , and would have said , ' Take courage ! ' ( Excessive amusement . ) But when & man writes about a science , a man ought to be understood to know something of it . But now mark his knowledge of agriculture ! He went to Caning , ton last summer , and he saw a dwarf apple tree , and hesayB , 'Well , what fine 'tatoes ! ' ' . Why , bless you , ' says , a man , ' they ' re apples ! ' ' Why , ' says
he , ' I never thought apples grew on such little trees ! ' And now this is the man who underta&es to write a treatise on agriculture ! ( Cries of Hear , hear / and laughter , ) This is the man whotells you , that a ton of muck will make your land stink , instead of making it produce ! ( Laughter . ) And in ray next balance sheet he will see entered a ton of Eau de Cologne , to perfume the land . ( Laughter . ) And then he says , , ' Tomkias , we would not hate your bailiff at any price . Think of giving a pound for a letter-bag , when I can get a sack for ten shillings ! ' ( Laughter . ) Why , I have got a aaok for six shillings ; and see , my friends , here ' s the letterbag !—( showing it )—there ' s the letter-bag ! ( Laugh - ter . ) But Tom Bailey did not tell you , though he
objects to a pound for this , with a patent lock , —he did not tell you that your bailiff paid £ 16 a year for a postboy to carry it . backwards and forwards ; he did not tell you that so particular was your own bailiff , that , aa he sometimes had his own private letters in that bag , he paid the boy for carrying it out of his own pocket ! ( Loud applause . ) And then , there ' s , the awful item of cows , and there is the awful item of a' churn that cost a pound ! I used to churn cream in a bottle , and I preaumg that Bailey has churned it in his beota ;—( loud laughter ) -but the idea of having cows , and giving a pound for a churn ! . Hame came the gude man , ; And hame came he ,, ' And name came the gude man ¦ Without the Za » e of me . : And he saw a pair of boots- , Where the boots should not be . — 1 What brought these boots here ! ¦ What ?'—quoth he ; ' What brought these boots here , Without the law of me 1 ' « Boots V quoth she ; ' Ay boots / quoth he ; Why—don ' t you see , — It ' s a churn , my mamsaa ¦ Sent to me r ( Loud laughter . ) Well , far have I travelled , And farther have I bem , But spurs upon churns , ¦ I ne ' er before have seen , ' ( Great laughter . )
So that the next balance sheet will have in it a pair of spuisfor the churn . ( Loud laughter . ) I gave a pound of your money for a chura : but he did not tell you that I gave ten pounds a year for a woman to churn it . ( Cheers . ) There ' s an awful . item of JE 3 . for a mastiff , If I waB in the neighbourhood of Bailey , I would have a mastiff in every corner of the place . There is sot an outlet , walk , or avenue , where I would not have a mastiff to guard . it . In last week ' s Star I not . only ,, convicted him of folly , but of wilful and corrupt ; perjury . ( Applause . ) He puts down what the horses cost for maintenance ; and he put down , 'Moore and Co .. for straw , £ 36 . Is . fld .
1 here ' s * a balance sheet ! ' . Whereas it stands , in the balance sheet , ' Moore and Co ., for cattle and straw £ 36 . ls . 9 d . ' £ 30 . of that was for cattle and other things . ( Loud applause . ) He reminds me of a foolish mayor of Cork , before whom a man came and swore an infoimation against a person for stealing twenty heifers . The man , after he had sworn the information , came back and said , 'One of the heifers was a bull , yer worship . ' 'O bedad , bedad ! ' said his worship ; I'll make it right ; I'll put a mtey banev to it ; ' N . B . One of the above heifers is a bull ? ' ( Loud laughter . ) Now , Mr Bailey ought to have put a notty 6 a « cy .- 'JN . B . £ 30 . of the above straw wore — « «« vAvu * ^ juuuu jauguiorj
.. ., « xuen no Bay there was £ 8 i . 10 s . Od . paid to the auctioneer for ? tu i' "J . u i ' nV " 16 rubbish at Lowbands . Think of the £ 84 . 16 s . to a surveyor ! ' Oh , but Tomkins , that £ 84 . 16 s . was paid to Messrs . Bentley and Saunders for a waggen , three carts , harness for thirteen horses , a wei g hing machine , barrows , and three ploughs . Then , Ee says , £ 18 , 000 . has been spent on the estate of Lowbands alene . I wi S'&V fiJV : .. He 8 a 3 V original purchase , A 7 . 893 . Now . I said it ooat £ 8 , 100 ; so here the man is knocking his brains against something , he does not knsw what . 'Expended for wages from January the 2 nd to Auaust thelBth . so «™ S . iT 5
- buUders ' accounts , " 41 . M 8 . ;' -but £ 250 was 9 be v ' educ edfrem that , for I was allowed fbr-T Carpentera ' work , £ 181 . 4 s . Id . ;' -not a faS ? M f ?{ : * ble t 0 the »« ° ttees ; itwas allcK able to the company , and the allottees only pay for wear and tear while they have the use of it Gwno , . £ 09 . ;' -as if it was put in the cottages ' He ' s show-in ; you what the cottages cost :-as if we " f if ° . w them to make them grow ! - ( Lou H ten ) m hi 8 hows youwhataneye he hasfor business . - ( Much amusement . ) ' Plumber * work taJStt- ^ r thiB » an would tffmehori ' m to get these things fornotuine ! IshonM kC « i
' j . ana agents and surveyor , £ 71 . 17 ,. "C 3 : V « T man is out ; there ' * £ 140 inTmJ , the / oohch toes . 'TavdlingexpeL £ i 2 T £ f ™\ P * n ablet , the # WRSi ^ ft
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Totalof . innis entered ; in ' account ? so much ;« dranced ^ toallottoes , £ 900 / . S Soithat those , allottees wholget their aid moneyiltlat foesto building / , cottages and purchasing theilani!—anfl ihen tnere . B directors' wages , Ac , £ 1 * 500 . ; ' -whioh is paid . : by the Company ; -as if the allottees paid sail the expenses ; which are paid . by the Company * MLouu cheeri . ) I have convicted this'fellowoferrorwtne extent of £ 5 , 600 , in £ 18 , 000 . ( Cheers . ) He doei not know what ! he ' s about . He says to himsel f , Pre a declining property ,, a newspaper that cant stand ; and if I . only expoao the hop . member for Nsttingham , and get his now constituents to read what I say , then I trust I may have a property that mavorosDera property that would sell . ' ( Cheers . ) . , . _ , __* - _„ . uU-t . ' ,. oA
. Why , my friends , this fellow and ' One who hai whistled at the plough * tell you that the Company is now liable . tb fines for having violated the law , and the' Whistler' told you that to-morrow every man whom I bought the estate fr » m , may take it frwn me , ( Laughter . ) Now , my friend * , I meet folly with folly . They say it ' s the part of a wise man to be a fool with fools , and a wise man with wi » men . But I meet knobstiok-law with BtatuU-law . ( Hear , hear . ) Now then , after all the wit that has been expended upon it , and the fines they say this Company h liable to for non-compliance wittrprovisions of the Btatute ; I have told you the law . of Bailey—the Old Bailey law- ~( laughter > -and 1 now am going to read for you the Jaw of the Lords and
Commons . I come to you because yon are interested , and because I have no right to ask you to enter into visionary speculations ; You have a perfect right to demand explanation from me , of everything you wish to know relative to it . If this land were to build workhouses upon ; if it were to aid the moneymongers in subduing labour , and tram pling on the neck of independence , then thii Land Plan would be lauded to thei skiesas a most philanthropio plan . ( Hear , hear . ) But it is for you —( hear , hear , )—and hence their hatred ; ( Loud applause . ) They cannot bear to see Tawea taken from the' workhouse , and placed in bw cottage , hut castle , in the centre of his free labour field , with four hogs in his sty , and his family round him . It ' s gall and
wormwood to them . ( Hear , near . ; And tften poor Tawes-poor fellow—he has a grievance surpassing strange!—in sixteen weeks ,. the Nottingham pauper , taken out of the workhouse , has received £ 15 . in money . But then it was at three- payments— £ 6 ., £ 6 ., and : £ 3 ij—don't you wish you had his complaint ? ( Loud laughter ;) Now just think of a pauper taken from Nottingham , being harassed and oppressed by receiving a pound a week for fifteen weeks , and not reoeiving it all in a lump ! Poor fellow ! Don'tyou pity him ? ( Loudlaughter . ) Well then , the 'Rambler' went to his house , and gave him an apple . It was ' . the apple of' discord . ( Hear , hear , hear . ) He left the apple upon the chimney piece , — it was a small apple , and he took half a dozen
potatoes in return ! that was the way this Moilycoddl —what ' s bia name' —conducted himself . Tiiia fellow not having a bit to eat , went to MrsTawes , and eat her potatoes , and she said , she did hot like to have him in the house , he was so covered with vermin . Now there ' s a pretty correspondent for Mr Bailey . ( Roars of laughter . ) Now I hope he will insert this man ' s communications under the head , ' Our Lousy Correspondent . ' ( Immense laughter . ) The law anticipates roguery , and in its sentiment is protective , though in its practice it is coercive . The law being apprehensive that a good scheme would be subjected to the villainy of spies and informers , steps in and protects them against these . Mark the law . This is the
law of the last session of Parliament : —for this poor blunderer has been knocking his head againBt the statute of Nebuchadnazzar—studying the law of Jerusalem —( hear , hear , and laughter)—hegot hold of an old volume of the statutes at large ; and he thinks what was law in 1580 must be law in 1847 . [ Mr O'C . then read the preamble of the . apt entitled , ' An act for the registration ; incorporation , and regulation of joint-ttock companies , ' &c , and the clause by which so much of the eld act as was therein recited is repealed . ] NOW } what do you Bay ? They say we are iable to fines , if we don't furnish copies of all these things ; while the fact is , it is unnecessary to do anything of the kind . And then we are told it is impossible ; and Mr Bailey tells you that it will take
£ 650 . to locate one single individual : But I made a calculation , wherein I showed him that , as far as they have gone ; it has only cost £ 253 ; and £ 30 . for o ' apital—that would make £ 283 . ( Cheers . ) The fact » , he was taught in a school where they say , ' if once naught is nothing , twice naught must be sonjetbing . ' Then he says , 'Put down JE 30 . for Goatman , £ 40 . for Tripp , ' and so on . . Now , you know the _ story df the woman who looked for her daughter in the oven . ' She had been' there herself before . ( Laughter . ) Tou may rely upon it , that Mr Bailey has been making up his [ accounts in that way . It is a thing I should never hav « thought of ; an'honest man would never have " thought of it . ( Laughter . ) He says it will take £ 550 .
to locate every man . But what did I tell you on the onset ? Did I not tell you that it is a plan wholly dependant upon confidence and co-operation ? ( Cheers . ) Did Fever Buppose for a moment that £ 2 . 12 s . would buy two acres of land , build a house , and give a man £ 15 . into the bargain ? ( Laughter . But I will tell you what 1 supposed . Fsupposed that members of a joint-stock bank could make fortunes on a paid-up capital of £ 50 , 000- If they do that , if railways , canals , and other theoretical schemes succeed , it would be strange if the only practical ope should fail . Tthink it the oddest thing in the world , that the land , which gives the value to everything in the world—the land , the most desirable possession for a man to
have , should be the very thing that would not pay . ( Luud cheere , ) They tell you that Ireland has become pauperized by the small farm system . My friends , hinc Sice lachryma , —hence their tears . The press has guided public opinion . But I have taught you a new science . I have made a new literature . It haa distanced the press;—left it behind public opinion , instead of it leading public opinion—( cheers)—and I will go blindfolded into the room there , and set my hand at random on the shoulder of a shareholder , and he shall meet Thomas Bailey , and beat him in argument , and mangle him as the kite mangles the lark . ( Loud laughter . ) They t « H you that Ireland U an instance of the failure of the plan . There never was a principle of the kind trie *
in Ireland . ( Cheers . ) Never . So long as we had 40 a . freeholders there ; there was comparatively no pauperism in Ireland . They had their acre and two acres of land each , andthey preferred to be half , starved upon it , to begging and leaving it . All thase small farms were knooked into large farms and then Ireland was beggared . But thepresBdoes not understand that the principle which destrovg Ireland is the system of tenantB at will upon a fragile tenure . ( Hear , hear . ) For instance , I hold twenty aoreB of land under James Sweet at £ 1 per aore . I won't improve it ; because if I do , Mr Sweet will turn me out , Bet it up by auction , and charge £ 1 . os . an acre for my improvements . ( Hear . ) The Irish people are called idle , unthrifty , l » 2 y . ' But they traverse the Atlantic in quest of honourable employment to preserve a miserable existence ! They come t » your cities , theypave your streets , they row your boatswhile
, they are unable to Jive upon their own toil in their own country . ( Applause . ) There is a paradox for you ! ( Hear , hear . ) The finest climate in the world ; the most genial and most fertile : —the most moral and industrious people —and yet in the greatest poverty that ever was seen . Who is the indictment chargeable against ? It is the government that governs you ! ( Hear , hear , hear . ky ' 1 '"* 1 what I mean , but I will atrip first LMr . OConnor here { took off'his cdat , * amidst lom cheering and clapping of hands . ] He then said , a friend of mine in Ireland had a tenant of the name 0 Barry , who occupied twenty acres of land at £ 1 . an nnutJ ^ W !^ ™!? lit tle attention to the cultivation of his land , and less to improving it . vourtt ^' ' * W *»^ all you £ & > make " Lnui ? « r ? P "> dl Y > tiTO . and to improve it ? ' He replied , Do you think I will out mv uwn thnnt . -if
imaMtneiand worth more his honour will raise ou ? 7 &I 1 * ^ fed r 1 head - ^ L me out of the house . ' Therefore , as a matter of selfpresemtion , the Iri . h do nothing more than occupv R , rLoS u u ^ subsistence . I propped that Barry should have only ten acres of this land , and if the landlord would grant him a lease for over he should pay £ 2 . an acre . The lease was grahM . and wu 7 ¥ years Ba" 7 - « wW \ &kJm 2 k&li > land . wniJe he was tenant » vt will HSTaid not bestow labour upon his land , but as Roon as it becako bis own he threw all hiB . labour and skill into it ; iio worke hard and fast ; his days were too nliorfc ; his efforts were unceasins ;; aud he soon felt the Wenm ! roault of his exertions . According as men are limited by the government and the laws in the exercise of their rights , just so will they limit their raertions , as in the instance I have mentioned ; ftis man could not live at one time on twenty acres pf land , because he . waB limited lin hb risht *
put as soon as he was equitably deatt wirtl he could live on half the ' jKSfty of tand at double the rent . Tha ^ my frfeV you ie 5 at £ ^ d t T . ^ ntheo ™ ' »«« conlniitadf to the best solution of unpweabfc dogmaS flan S I 1 / 1 * » ° *» «» 1 fl » kstmedhra of carrenoyj dSiteS ^ hl 0 hno < on e <>» A' dispme , but aU may menJ . L V nety *? f " ^ "Ostrnms aad raov * - ffi » ill *? ' ? i S S » may t >« intheir oeiwns ^ all may findreadara anddiwi « plea of ttese pewwhKR ^ J have ^ a " ^ 5 L heS * J « W « ' »*^*«* r igamBt . Imd S the fiendish , hellish « n 6 lautht wttheprotOST fe ' ! ' •' - ** " i A 5 » the resMit ? Why , the men retarn labour for their w * 88 a » ' « M « dtp 6 tftthe ratio of tb . eir payment . A KMW ltal ^ l » fcour ; it ffionlyre . l ° JB * [¦' » , if n « . recawe only 4 s . a week waaes . he is
™* j «« y f » ntiink . 8 t . w « rtli 6 {\ rork ; if Redoes , he " "SL !?^ , ? ^^ ; < H «« r » hear . ) IwilUhow S *^* ^ ^* ^ P ' 88 iWe wsowce to reseem the , ooTintoj from hvakruptcy . You hear
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Mi ^^^^^ g ^ g ^^^^^ MM ^^^^^^ , ^^^^ I much about the funds , thb . money , market , mann ^' tores , trade , and commerce ; but you never hp c < word about labour . No one will tell yon . „ , «' . '« enthis subject ;; but I . will show you thenSS *» labour .. We will take the working classes in rnn ^ nuinhars at -four . millions , and ! the s taT « * £ 50 , 000 , 000 ; , we wUl take the idlers at fifty iL at sand ; that is , those who live upon the taxes N « as the fonrmillion g payeaoh £ 12 . 10 g . per ' annnfc ' if there should be one-half short of work , the t ? millions ( must pay £ 35 . each per annum , or else r ° taxes cannot be paid . And out of what must >? ° £ 25 . be wised ? .. Why , out of the labour oi thenoS man ; and the two millions out ofemployma gtf ! : supported out of the labour of the other two million , who are compelled to . work st reduced wages . ( Hear hear . ) , Hence ,. you have . this anomaly , that in thj same proportion in which the number who 8 npp the idlers , have the burden , increased upon them in ^ mtintin ! v > ttf . tli » fnnAn ?!»» . ' ffiOD&V m » L . i ^ " ^ i
the same proportion » their ability to pay reduced because their wages are diminished by the compete tive reserve of idlers—whUe labour , which is the only producing thing , has the further burden i m . posedupon . it of supporting the extra two million paupers . Now , here ' s the figure—in one case , foUf million men , at full work and free labour , pay £ 50 , 000 , 000 . a year , or £ 12 . 10 s . a nan ; in the other case , two million , at . slave labour , pay the £ 50 , 000 , 000 . a year , or £ 25 . a man—and , in addition , each slave carries a pauper upon his back , who lives upon his labour . ( Loud and long continued cheei . ing . ) Will any one . deny this ? The labour field alone supplies the demand , and out of the labour of the poor , the idlers support thei i
houses , their hunters , their dogs , which animals pro . duce . very little , except my mastiff , and he kicks up a devil of a row . Reverse the fact , and instead of the fifty thousand living upon the labour of the four millions , suppose the four millions to be idle , and to have to live upon the pro . duction of the fifty thousand , how would it be then ? Then yen must at once perceive that every man who is thrown out of employment is an additional tax upon the men at work , and that it is out of their labour alone that the unemployed can look for sup . port . Well , they won't employ you now ; and why ? Because they can't make a profit of your labour . Is this a reason why a man born with the impress of his Maker , should be under a system of tyranny ? I will
show the Government , while they are hunting all ever the world for the produce of labour , the great advantages that may be derived from the land , and that the government ought to be convicted of treason if there be a single pauper in the land . ( Applause . ) But the land , is not only a labour field for the working men , but it produces a market for the middle classes . I have gone into a poor parish where the poor-rates were 15 s . in the pound , and where there were only a few poor labourers employed , and little business done at the shops , But now there are eight hundred em * ployed every week upon the best wages , and the shop . ceeperswho formerl y hated and detested me , now find difficulty in providing Btores for food , and the ; say when they meet me , ' God bless you , sir , we will
subscribe to buy another estate for you . ' ( Laughter and applause . ) There is not a shopkeeper there who is not a paid-up member to the Land Company . Now there ' s a picture for that old tapster , that old humbug editor of the Mercury . ( Applause . ) Take any quan * tity of acres around Nottingham , now in an unproductive state , and locate working men-upon them , and with one-fourth part of the capital usually required , they will be able to produce an abundance for their maintenance , and also for their families . ( Hear , hear , and applause . ) I say there are not tea acres within three miles of the town , but might be cultivated with advantage at the rate I have given . I say take 9 , 000 acres in the neighbourhood of Nottingham , and put 3 , 000 honest Iabourers . at three acres to
amao , upon them , and you would soon have a different scene amongst the shopkeepers to what you now witness . You would have 3 , 000 women , with the blush of health upon their faces , and baskets on their arras , coming oh the . market-day , and going into the shops for groceries , candles , snuff ; bonnets , shoes , stockings , hats , shirts , and drapery , and every kind of article useful in a house and for a family , where now , except by odd individuals , not a single article of the kind can be had once a month . ( Applause . ) This scene would be far better than haying 3 , 000 in the workhouse , ready in case there should be any chance to compete against the foreigner , under the free trade system , to reduce labour when it should be wanted . I honour the man ; I respect the man ; I
pity the man , who is obliged to give his labour fer less than it is worth . ( Applause . ) . If I were a married man , and had a wife and children , and under the present coercive system , I would rather toil and labour and sweat for whatever a master might please to give me , rather than go into a workhouse to have my wife torn from my side , and be separated from my children . ( Hear , hear , and applause . ) Here is the damnable evil of the poor law . The poor man has a pride in living in the company ot his wife , while out of the workhouse , but the moment he goes inside he is told he is not capable of living with her there—( hear , hear , hear)—for the legislature , consisting of the licentious lords and dissipated commoners , who have stronger bonds and links of affeotion than the
poor , had enacted that such cannot be allowed . ( Hear , hear . ) Why shoHld they be separated ? But why , that bloated beast of an editor has not said , but perhaps it is because he approves of the poor-law , and would like to sleep on one side of the house himself , while a part of his household should sleep on the other . Not so with you ; you like to live with your wives , and te be happy together . ( Applause . ) I will draw another picture . A man gets employment ; he comes home to his happy wife , contented family , and his cheerful fire-side . He is satisfied with his little , and though he has no luxury , he is contented , remains at home , and is thankful , But see him . in an opposite position . See him reduced , having no labour , and no , employment . He comes home , but
he does not remain , as he is unhappy .- He will not diseuBs cause and effect , but he becomes disheartened ; he goes to the beer-houee , and if he can raise a shilling he spends it ; his wife is deserted , bis children neglected and uneducated , and become a curse instead of a blessing . ( Hear , hear . ) If I were a man employed and living upon the land , I would pray tor my wife to have ten children in nine months , ai instead of being a curg « , as poor men ' s children are now to them , they would be the greatest blessing that could be bestowed upon them . ( Loud laughter and applause . ) If the poor generally wera located on the soil , you would soon see two millions of . the finest children ever born upon the earth , along with their parents , in the enjoyment of the
blessingsand bounties of Providence . This shows to you why these contemptible fellows despise , oppose , condemn , and reviie the Land Plan . Oh ! but , they say , how can Mr O'Connor possibly locate bo many people ? Why , I have explained to you that if a man can begin to build a house , he oan mortgage and raise money to build Btery after story , till he has got the roof on ; and thus he may go on with adding aore to acre . ( Hear , bear . ) ' We have heard of building societies existing for twenty years , and persons paying their money , realising large profits , and putting money into the pockets of the proprietors . We have heard of theories without end for making money , which have been highly approved , but because our plan is carried out practically it is abused , and we are
calumniated . How are poor men like Tawss to eet out of the workhouse ! ¦ how could that man have lot over hi 3 difficulties ? he never could , except upon the plan of the Land allotment . ( Applause . ) Thsre are benefit societies , and club 3 for building houses , and for granting allotments to members , and yet the characters of the members is never canvassed , ¦ as no doubt they are the most honest people in the world , because they are bound to pay money for a certain period , perhaps for ten or thirteen years , and to make a living independently of these monthly payments . But the character of our members must be scrutinised , although they are not called upon to undertake to pay anything more than a rent fer their allotment . They need not pay more
than a rental , aa . in caae of a mortgage , the landlord only becomes chargeable for the interest . ( Loud applause . ) But I will explaincritically for you the difference between the obligations imposed by benefit societies and the Land Company upon their membere , and pray pay atlention to this , as it is of far more importance than all Tom Bailey ' s rubbish , and will go far to establish the fact tbat I am the only person who does understand the Land Plan i * its several details . Now , observe this , one of those much laudwl societies , aeeingthat Laboaris the very best security , advances a labourer as mueh money as will buy a house—a house , mind , ne land—and this labourer i » compelled to pay the purohaBe-motwy by monthly instalments , besides living , besides- rent , besides inteieitin
¦ - —aome cases , ten , twelve , and fifteen per cent . —and interminable fine * and legal expensei . So that here you have the press advocating a system which imposes alt these hardships upon » man , from the first day he enters a hense , that praduces nothing until the day he makes it bit own b ? purchase , while the Land Company imposes n » such obligation as purchasing , no fines ,, no enormous interest , and only rent , and the first payment not demanded until the tenant ka » been in possession for twelve months , and then only six Months' rent , , and instead of dragging monthly instalments , fines , enormous interest , and legal expenses , gives to each [ of its members £ 15 , £ 3210 * ., and £ 30 v ( Loud and long continued cheerine . and 'That ' sit /) Now ,
all these societies are got up by lawyers to oeece t < iepoor , and Tom Bailey has aever asked for oae oftbeir balance sheets . But tbey say , Mr O'Connor ' * bank is a bubble . You did not hear ot tw Royal Bank at Liverpool being a bubble ; nor M Reid , Irving , and Co , ; nor of the joiat-stock baDK * that have failed , being bubbles : all these were j supported by honourable men , and have bew co ^ mended by the press , but the nan who unaertt f » t © Bern you , by carrying out the Land Pl » D j "r the reprobation of the press . ( Hear , hear , an" » £ . plause . ) I will show you the security of our W »* Suppose we had one hundred , thousand WMW week , or ten thousand pwads a week , I mU ^ l out of the latter sum land worth six or seven w « , land pounds , and I should have three tbouiw pounds for building houaes . I should have ftr { { tea thousand pound * an interest of fire P " cea
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NOTTINGHAM . [ From our own Reporter . )
OUR MEMBER AND HIS ACCUSER . Last Wednesday night was a sad night for poor Tom Bailey , and no doubt many a time when he heard the derisive cheers ringing through the Market Place , at his expense , he wished lie had never dipped his goose quill into gall . Tomjbas met more than his match , —he used to pique himself on being the biggest blackguard amongst blackguards , as George the Fourth prided himself upon being the first gentleman and the greatest blackguard of the age—nevertheless , poor Tom is a cold , ' as of all the blackguardings , and fair blackguardings too , that ever a blackguard got , poor Tom got it on Wednesday ni ght . Our townsmen no doubt remember the Reform enthusiasm of Nottingham in 1832 , and the Chartist enthusiasm in 1839 , but both were lameness itself compared to the mad enthusiasm
with which Mr O'Connor ' s constituents greeted him on that evening . Long before the hour of meeting , dense crowds were marching into Nottingham from all directions , and ,-for some hours before the appointed time of meeting , the Exchange Hall was actually beset with anxious thousands claiming admission , and in a few minutes after the doors were opened the spacious building was crowded to suffocation , so much bo , that , upon Mr O'Connor ' s arrival at seven o ' clock , he found it difficult to make his way through the Market Place to the entrance of the Exchange , and there he and his friends had to make a third attempt before they could force their way through the wedged mass to the platform , and upon reaching which Mr O'Connor was greeted with one rapturous shout of acclamation that made the building shake .
Untitled Article
The following is the description of the meeting and its enthusiasm , given by the Nottingham Mer cury : — The following handbill was issued on Friday last : — Notice . —The public are respectfully informed that Feareus O'Connor , Esq ., M . P ., will meet his accusers , Mr Thomas Bailey , of the Nottingham Ifercury , and Mr Job Bradshaw , of the Nottinglum Journal , who are requested to attend in the Exchange Room , on Wednesday evening next , October 27 ta , at seven o ' clock precisely . The
doors will be opened at half-past six . —Admission Free . ' On Saturday , the following reply was distributed : — 'The Pbess ! the PaEss!— 'The Press is the Palladium of the Liberties of Englishmen : it can command an audience where every honest man in the kingdom is excluded . '—To the Press , then . I appeal as the proper medium for dis-ussiug the question at present in controversy ¦ between Mr O'Connor and myself in reference to ihoNational Land Company , and not to a packed and excited public meeting . —Thomas Bailey , Mercury Office , October 23 , 1817 . '
Ou Monday evening Mr Donnan delivered a preliminary lecture in defence of the Land Plan , a report of which ( with the vituneratien cast upon the Editor of this paper ) will be found in another place .
THE MEETING . On Wednesday evening , at six o ' cloek , a considerable number of persons had assembled round the Exchange doors , waiting for admission ; and from that time the crowd increased , until , st half-past six , the doors were opened , and there ' was an eager rush , until , in a very few minutes , tfaa ITall . from which all the seats had been removed , was * ne dense mass ef persons standing closely together , and extending through the large doors to the opposite side of the ante-room , while numbers could not obtain admission . It was nearly half-past set en when Mr O'Connor , amidst immense cheering , entered the room , and ascended the platfenn . Mr Sweet was called to the chair . .
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Nov. 6, 1847, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1443/page/4/
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