On this page
- Departments (1)
-
Text (8)
-
THE NORTHERN: STAR SATURDAY, AUGUST 19, 1843.
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
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.
-
-
Transcript
-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
Untitled Article
funds , and the best legal guidance ; otherwise , instead oT-rictory , defeat frith all its horrors will b * their doom ! l r I hear thst Mr . Beesley is effecting la vast deal of good among the colliers . He has been , working in a pit for the last two or three weeks , in prder to make himself practically acquainted with the mode of life and sufferings of these grievously wronged men . Again I Bay to thepit-men , - LET THERE BE NO STMKEFOR THE PHESENT . They are your worst enemies who give you any other ad-rice . GsO . JULIAM HlXNST . Dumfries , August 14 . 1843 . :
The Northern: Star Saturday, August 19, 1843.
THE NORTHERN : STAR SATURDAY , AUGUST 19 , 1843 .
Untitled Article
STATE OF THE NATION , WHAT HAS THE TARISFj DONE 1 The inquiry " what has the Tariff done ! ' * is sow a Tery n&tnral one . It was Pbel ' s measure of ** relief . " It was has only one : for we presume that even he will not call the Inoome Tax an act of relief : and these two measures are the only measures he has introduced at all worthy of consideration . What , then , has the Tariff done ! What have , so fur , been its effects !
It was intended to do great things . Peel introduced it to sare the nation . " There never was a nation that took so much " saving" as England . We hare had Saviours of all sortB and sizes j and so many of them , that their name is ! legion . Pitt , ** heaven-born * Pitt , " saved" us from the overwhelming effect of " French Principles" and ihe SIOOMT DESPAIR OP AlHEISH . " PjTI Wf tS "the pilot that weathered the storm ; " for % e preserved to ns " THEBLESSKD 00 HT 0 B . T 8 OP EEUOION , " It COSt us a ** power of money" for Mm to do this ; but ,
ttnib the mone y * Pitt was our political Saviour We soon , however , required ** saving ^ again . Though u French Principles 1 ' had been annihilated , yet Bcoiutabte threatened ns withdestruotion ; and if Wellhistoh had not " saved" us at | Waterloo , all the previous " saving" would not have been worth a groat , much as it cost . It is true that Wklungton ' s" saving" was rather a dear one . It is true that his " splendid victories" cost us so much money as to justify the impression that they had been bought rather than won . It is tree that from the year
of 1810 to 1815 , both inclusive , the enormous sum of £ 505 , 000 , 000 uas expended under the two heads of Army and Navy alone 1 It is true that Wexijn * - T 03 himself was voted grants And allowances , estates and money , to the value of a million sterling ! It is true all this ; but it is equally true that he " saved" as ; and that for bo doing we were told by Tomselfia . his peerage , that the nation " had not the power to reward him ruficiently f' \ though he had the generosity to confess that * it \ did its besf ! Castlekeagh , too , was a Saviour . He " saved " the nation from the Radicals . By his Six Acts and his Manchester Massacre , he " saved" the whole
country from utter annihilation . : The Radicals u had a design on all property . " Gagging Bills , and Power-of-imprisonment Bills , put all things to rights ; and we were ** saved" ones more . j H was a pity , however , that Castuebiagb could not " save" himself 2 Saviour of the nation as he was , he eonld set do but destroy himself . With his men hands he cut his eon throat 1 He stuck a penknife into his carotid artery , at North Cray , in Kent ; and fell dead , a victim to his own aot . It is now some twenty years ago : but the remembrance of the deed will be kept in mind so long as the bloody Massacre which lie so exnltingly appxaudkd , has been unatoned for . ;
In addition to these Saviours , we had also "Prosperity-RoBissoJ » . " "The sudden transition from war to peace" brought on a state of things unendurable . When the nation recovered from its drunken joy , it discovered that it was not" saved , " notwithstanding all the treasure-it had expended . ° Prosperity-KoBiBSOK" tried his hand . He put off resumption of cash-payments . He augmented
paper money , by a monstrous issue of One Pousd Notes . He H saved" the nation once more : at least , so he said . He boasted loud and long of our " glorious Constitution , dispknsinc ; its blessings THROUGH THE ? 0 BTALS OF AS AKCIKST MoNABCHT . " But he did not * save" ns from the *• panic" of 1825 3 His boasts were thin air ; and his confusion sa perfect aa that of any .
" Saviour of a canon yet wxwed " could be . Peel then tried his hand . One-Pound Notes was all the evil that afflicted ; bs . Get rid of those , and we should get rid of distress . So said Peel . Bis Bill was therefore passed . One-Pound Notes disappeared . The nation was " Baved" once again . Strange to say , however , it refused to believe it . It talked of distress , and poverty , and ruin , and bankruptcy , until Grey tried his hand at ** saving "
with the Reform Bill . Now here was a perfect Saviour . If all else had failed , this j" saving" measure was sure to do the trick . " Ho more distress . No more poverty . Roast beef and plum-pudding once more . " Alas ! for the vanity of human hopes ! The great" saving" measure was no * saving ' at all J and Peel had to come in 1842 to try his hand again . He gave us the Tariff as the next measure of salvation ; and we are now going to inquire " What has been its effects" 1
The Tariff was a measure of ** Free Trade . " It was hailed by all of that school as the greatest measure of " Free Trade" ever attempted . In thug hailingitjibe FreeTraders " wereunaonbtedlyright It was the greatest—the moBt extensive appli cation of Free Trade" principles ever attempted . It swept away , at once , hundreds of Aoss of Parliament ; repealed hundreds of duties ; altered the amounts of hundreds more : and revolutionised our
whole commercial code . Great things were promised in Us same . It would " cheapen food , and enable the working man to get more for his money ; and thus stop his mouth , and put an end to his grumbling . " It would "revive trade , by causing other nations to bring us their produce , and take back ours in return / ' It would " make us prosperous once more and stem the tide of bcin thai had so fearfully set in . "
Well then what have been its effects f Has it u cheapened" food 1 Faith , and it baa I It has lowered the price of wheat , of beef , of mutton , of butter , of bacon , of milk , of cheese , 'and of all other staple articles of food . It has lowered the price of all manufactured goods , woollen , cotten , linen , and sQk . It has reduced the value of arf property ; an » IT HAS BMTOCBD THE AMOTOT OP WAGES OF LABOtTB . The Tariff has not been without its effects I Most certainly that cannot be Bald of it . It has had effects j and most tremendous ones too !
Bat has it " saved" us 1 It certainly has not ** saved' ? Ireland from a * state © if Rebellion , " if the Lobd Ghascbixob speaks . troth . It certainly lias not ** saved" the Church of Soatland from / Atnp to pieces , presenting the most unusual spectacle of Parsons leaving their livings . It certainly has not "saved" Wales from the exactions , of Toll-gate erectors : nor has it " put down" " Rctecca , " who
ib waging war upon the constituted authorities of the country ; superseding the functions of the Executive itself . It eertainlyhas not "Jsaved" England from sura j'for the ory of distress ^ and alarming : symptoms of it , are more rife than ever . . It has [ Upf ^ reooncnodihe Colliers to xishtbkh whcb % day ^ nor the Iron-masters to bar-iron at £ B ft ion j It has not put down Chabtjsm ; : nor Jias . it smothered the wan of the Buffering in ; the Poor Law . Basffle ^ . -2 i ^« not prevented T 7 miAM Stccij ^ ^ aflKhterirostbeing MURDERED , by being- pwd to death amongst heaps of « cheap" food 1 nor has ^ t preveafod ^ another ^ strike * . to withstand an : ~ altempleB redicfibn * orwages . "d ^ eae things it Has j not , done Is *^ iherafore , soft * , % frsfailtft ' " save * he nation . ?* - " - ¦ .
Tl" H ! o * se » lately had the guestion of the State - of tie l * aii » n dbenssed before it . Lord Jemt Rusbtll introduced it , and bore Zis testimony to ihe d ^ organaedaad alarnang condition of the great siass ol ihe people in all iheihrWamntriea . Jo »
Untitled Article
Huns too , had Ais say . That say is very important . Jo& is a Fre ^ Trader" to the bask bone . It is through the J" Free-Trade ' spcotaclea that Job . looks at every question . He it was that haUed Peel ' s Tariff . He ] it was that aided him to carry it . He it was , that predicted all sorts of grand reralts from its operation . He it was , that has always told us that nothing hut a Free Trade" will benefit us . His testimony therefore , as to the bad effects of M Free Trade ** principles reduced to practice , is allimportant , IThat testimony we are now going to have . JoB . shall speak for himself . He shall
describe , in his own words , the effects of the greatest measure of " Free Trade" ever attempted . He shall describe the present condition of the country ; and by consequence the effects of Peel's " Free Trade" measures . During the debate on the State of the Nation , Jos . pertinently asked : — u What was the situation of the people of the this country ) in July , 1843 , compared with the condition of the country in September , 1841 ; when the Right Hoh . iBaronet came into office ? The question was , u > ere _ the people in « belter state now than they were when the Right Honourable Baronet
undertook the : Gbvernment of the country 1 He ( Mr . Hume ) said-jno . Profits had decreased , wages has DECREASED , ; AND EMPLOYMENT BAD ALSO DIMINISHED . Judging from his own observation , and from the observation of others , he had no hesitation in deolaring that the distress and difficulty which existed in the country ^ aere much greater than they had been in any former jf ears . He asked Hon . Membars if they everrecolleoied the country to beinsuchastateasitwas in at tbat moment ! Informer times the complaint was a want of money—a deficiency of capital . Now one of the principal grounds of complaint among capitalists
was that they kad more than they could asefully employ . Axl trade was at a stand still . The Bight Hon . Baronet , notwithstanding his large majority and his great political power , had not been able to improve the condition of any one trade in the country . He would only refer Hon . Members to the state of the cotton and the woollen trade . In 1841 these trades were in a very different condition . Look at th ? state of Yorkshire—was there not great distress in ] that and in other counties among the labourers t i If the labourer was in so depressed a conditionin what state must the master be ?
Pro-, perty was being wasteoY and capital was daily disappearing from the country . Many capitalists were employing labourers at a great pecuniary loss : to such a state was trade reduced . Let Hon . Members look at the shipping interest . It was always customary for Chancellors of the Exchequer to refer with exaltation to the state of the shipping interest of the country ; but what was the condition of that much-vaunted interest ! It was most deplorable . The Right Hon . Baronet spoke of the power and
energy of the country , and was it not strange that he ( Sir R Peel ) made no reference to the state of the shipping" trade I The Noble Lord had been accused of entertaining gloomy views of the present posture of publio affairs ; but he ( Mr . Hume ) thought that he liad not done justice to the lamentable condition in which the country was situated . They talked of a decrease in the revenue . That was a proof of ikeybrertj and distress whiob prevailed . It was a true' index of the distress and difficulties with which trade had to contend . "
Pretty fair this 1 Rare effeets from * free trade" ! u Decreased profits " M Decbease © Wasw . " " Diminished employment ? "All trade at a stand-still" / " No use ? ob capital . " Excellent effects of ' freetrade' ^ Gl orious Tariff ! Rare " saving of the nation" ! ; And what does the reader think was Joe ' s " remedy" for the alarming state of things he but too truly described ! What on earth does the reader think , Joet prescribed ! He had been describing the effects of one dose of " Free Trade . " He very
rightly contrasted the state of the country in July 1843 , with itB state in September , 1841 ; for he well knew that the Tariff had been passed and brought into operation between the two periods . He knew therefore that he was describing the slate of the country , after the operation of Free Trade ; and he truly declared that people were no better off" ; on the contrary , " the distress and difficulty which exiBted , were grfiater than they had been in any former years" ! Joet well knew that he was detailing the effects of the " Free-Trade" Tariff ; and what was his remedy 1 : Anotheb and a la&oeb dose 1 ifoorc " Free-Trade" Pills ! We were ill because we had not swallowed enow ! More would cure us
W hat a quack ! How like the Mobison " rot-gut scamps , " with their universal vegetable medicine . Take a moderate dose ; and if you are wow , —and it is almost impossible but that you will be , —your increased illness and aggravated symptoms arise , not from the deleterious nature of the poison you have swallowed ^ but because yon have not taken enough ! They prescribe more : more you take : worse yon gat . Still " more" is the quack's prescription ; you follow his advice ; and when you are dead ay a nail , the fellow has the impudence to say you died because you did not swallow more"t So with the quack " Free-Traders . ' * One dose has Bet ALL TRADE AT A STAND-STILL "; and get another and a larger dose is the prescription to set it going again !!!
The Tariff , then , has had its effects . It has worked some changes . It has made some revolutions . It has not been wholly inoperative . It has reduced the prices of all sorts of produce . And it is now B . WWCIK 6 Kekt 3 ! God be thanked ! If the Tariff will bring the landlords to their senses , we shall not begrudge the misery it causes to other classes . The landlords have been the scourge of the country . They it were , who went to war to poll down " French Principles , " and expended one thousand millions of money ! They it were that passed the Gagging Bills , and the power-of-ImpriBonment-Bills , to " put
down" the Radicals , who wanted to prevent the necessity of having to rob the landlords to pay the fundholder his interest . They it were that screened the bloody Yeomanry butchers of Manchester from punishment , when they had imbrued their hands in innocent and unoffending blood . They it were that denied all : inquiry into the murderous transactions of that day . They it were who have uni . formly refused to hearken to the words of warning and advice ; and they it is who have now to Reduce their Rents , to enable the fanner to pay the fundholder his ; dividend ! Thank God for it ! When the Fundlord has swallowed up the Landlord , we shall have ! him doing battle in gallant style upon the Steanvlord ; and then " Hurrah for the END" !
The game has begun . Rents are coming down They must come down faster and faster . All prices will come down , to a much lower range than the present . As prices come down , Rents must fall too ! That cannot be avoided . Either rents or taxes must give way : and the land-lord knows that taxes cannot be given up 1 He knows the meaning of "National Faith " j so down rents muat come . Every reduction in prices will but add to the mess . Every time prices are reduced , the means to pay the Fundlord kiminish ; and every reduction of rent must be ini an increased ratio . The estates will soon be swallowed up ; and then for the real battle ! then for the real light ! A short one , and a desperate one ! andlthen THE END !
The game has began . Read the following three announcements picked at random from out of a heap of others . Read them carefully , and study on the state of things they reveal . There is much meaning , in them : more than meets the eye at one glance ;—•* Lord Wiljonghby de Erseby , lord-lieptenant of Carnarvonshire , has signified his intention to allow a deduction of 124 per cent , io his tenants at the
next rent day , in consideration of the -rery low prices " of agricultural produce , and the consequent general dfatresa of the fftTmers . " " Robert Arkwright , Esq ., of Suttpn Hall , Derbyshire , owing ' to the depressed state of the markets for agricultural produce , has directed 15 per cent ., of the last ialf year ' s rent , and 10 per dent , of the previo us half year , making 25 per cent ., to be returned l » his tenants . "
" At last week ' s collection of reDts upon tie Perth estates ,, we understand that Mr . Kennedy , . on the part of Lord and sLady Willoughby . nd'Erseby granted to all the tenantry , without i djstyi ^ tiDn , an abatement of 22 } per ' cent .. This ,, dednotion waB made according to a principle adopted by bis Lordship , sad acted » pon for many years , hayinit xefer-> ejio £ ioj $ e average price of corn , o ^ ttf&and . moolfpr 3 b ^ jSy « j £ aBt , season . ?; > fhw ^ ^ j WbutaB a 'Vdropin the buoket ** to what could- ^^ pwd uced . The readers of ; the jSUp will rememterthe . « ommunicatione of the correspondent of * herim « ifrom * Rebeoca-land , " where hed ' istinctty and repeatedly showed that tho great depression in the price of agricultural produce had
Untitled Article
rendered it impossible for the farmers to pay their fixed tithes , taxes , and rent ; and that amongst other things , they demanded a reduction of rents . YeBj 1 Rent first I thelandlord has himself to thank for ihat . He has cried up National Faith " : so no one idares to talk of a reduction of taxatioe , whatever he may thiak about it . A few more 22 $ per cent , and 30 per cent , reductions in rente ; and we Bhall then have the landlords singing very small aboiit " National faith" ! To what follows we crave every attention . It is descriptive of a movement of a truly extraordinary character ; and it is a movement that will be catching , too ! The description appeared in the Times a
few days ago : — : H A movement of a very extraordinary character has commenced in the King's County , to which I am anx | pus thus early to draw yonr attention , because it is likely to lead to very important consequences , as regards the social condition of the country , and the rolative position of landlords and tenants . "On Monday last , a very numerous meeting of the landholders and occupiers of five baronies of the King's County , took place at Raheen , at which VioarB Fisher , Esq ., of Urney , presided . This meeting was rendered very remarkable by the fact , that the extensive Protestant landholders of the district
attended in considerable numbers , to co-operate with the Roman Catholic farmers in demanding a large reduction of their rents , proportioned to the diminished prices of agricultural produce , and in earnestly calling upon all other partB of the country to follow their example . It was arranged that the resolutions , which I subjoin , and which are very temperately worded , should be introduced by Protestants and Roman Catholics alternately . "Moved by William Porter , Esq ., BaUintogher , seconded by G . 0 * R * Delamere , Raheenbeg' —* That
the unexampled competition for land in this country has been productive of a rental far beyond its intrinsic value , and more than proportioned to the value of those protecting dutieB under which we heretofore received fair prices , and by which prices the landlords measured tho rents to which they conceived themselrJes entitled . " jMoved by Henry F . Odium , Esq ., Cappincur , seconded by Mr . Richard Mooney , Killinmore : — 1 That the decline in the quantity of produce for the last five years , and the gradually progressive decrease for : tub last eighteen months in particular , in
THE PRICE Of EVERY K . INB OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE , op at lealt 30 per cent ., has reduced the Irish agriculturist to a lamentable condition , proved , a fortiori , by the higher class of farmers , heretofore independent , now verging on bankruptcy—as inability to meet their engagements cannot admit of a truer or milder expression . ' " ] Moved by Charles Meredith , Esq ., Coolville , seconded by Thomas Flood , Esq ., Ballycristal . — 'That the continuance and operation of the present tariff , permanent in its principle , caiise , and effect ,
FOLLY DEMONSTRATES TO OS THAT A BULL FURTHER DETERIORATION IN THE VALUE OF AGRICULTURAL psoWce may be expected—no aaventuious circumstanoe or temporary fluctuation producing this state of our affairs , but the steady , fixed , and natural tendency of an enactment carried through Parliament for [ the sole purpose of cheapening food . " ( Moved by Henry Odium , Esq ., Portarlington ; seconded by Mr . Robert Alexander , Clonveen : — That our intimate knowledge of improved farming in all its branches , our persevering industry and attention , have all been fruitlessly expended in struggling against the increasing difficulties which beset us ; , hems it is a dut y we owe to
our-SELTES AND OUR CHILDREN TO DIRECTLY APPEAL TO THE LANDLORDS TO GRANT IN TIME A BBBCCTION OF 30 PER CENT . IN THB BENTAL OF OUR FARMS , as every orninary contract entered into between landlord asd tenant , previous to the last eighteen months , has entailed frightful loss on the latter . ' "Moved by S Robinson , Esq ., Clara ; seconded by Mr . Richard Larke , Kilcooney : — ' That it is our unanimous and deliberate opinion , that the tenant ,
whose economical Outlay of capital and information has enhanced the value of his farm , should be allowed for his improvements , it being an admitted fact that nine-tenth 3 of the tenantry of Ireland who hold leases , hold on determinable ones . Industry and money expended oh land is the most valuable productive labour within any country . To leave it unprotected and unremunerated , would be to neglect the most permanent and vital interests of landlord and tenant . '
•• Moved by Arthur J . Webb , Esq ., Bloomfield ; seconded by Mr . Richard Larke , Kilcooney : — ' That we earnesly and confidently call on the rest of Ireland to imitate the laudable example we now set them , of men of every shade of politics and religion generously vieing with each other , irrespective of all petty , sill y prejudices , in common sense and fellowship , for the attainment : of one common object . '" Suoh is the effect of the Tariff upon agriculturists . ft has decreased the price of their produce at least thirty per cent ; and the Irish movers for a thirty per cent reduction of Rents , truly state the nature of that Tariff when they say that M it is permanent in its principle , cause , and effect ; " aud that a " still further deterioration in the value of agricultural
produpe may be expected . " It is permanent in its principle . " Further " deterioration of value" will follow . It is not alone in agricultural produce that this thirty per cent reduction has taken place . The decrease in the price of Iron is more striking . Bar Iron is now Belling for £ 6 a ton . In 1814 it sold for £ 13 9 i . 8 d . a ton . That was the average price in that year ! In 1835 it sold for £ \ 1 lid . 8 d . a ton . Now , as just announced , it is hut £ 5- How dobs this immense dcpresialion arise ! To what can this be ascribed } Certainly not to " foreign competition , "— the ready answer of every " Free Trader , " when asked the cause of the depreciation of woven
fabrics . There is no "foreign competition" in Iron worth naming . No country on the face of the earth makes enough of iron for its own use , besides England , excepting Sweden : and there it is made at a cost far exceeding what is it made for with us . Then how does it happen that saoh a monstrous disparity should exist between the price of Iron now , and the price in 1814 and 1815 ? One reason is , because of [ Peel ' s Bill , which reduced prices of all sorts , except the price of taxes and of tithes ; and the other reason is because of the Tariff , which is doing what the former measure left undone : ruining all , except the tax-eater ; and that gentleman will come in for his share before the THING is settled !
giP We had written thus far , when the report of the meeting of the Spitalfieds silk weavers came to hand . That report renders it unnecessary for us to say another word on this occasion , beyond barely referring the reader to it . We look upon that meeting as one of the most important ever held in this country . It is another evidence of the operatioH of that mind amongBt the workora which is to really " eave this nation . " -There was more sound sense , more true philosophy , more judgment , more discrimination , more tracing of effect to cause , at that meeting , in the two or three hours that it was assembled , than has been evinced by all the " Saviours" that have hitherto w saved the country . " To the Report we refer with pride . It will amply repay perusaL
Untitled Article
"HOW HAPPY COULD I BE WITH EITHER . " " Heads and tails "; " head foremost , or feet foremost , if we win , " is the game of the League . For many months we were assured by the "left wing " of that faction , the Sturgites , that they had no connection whatever with the main body of "Free Traders "; but on the contrary they adopted our principles and eschewed our blasted name for the mere purpose of deluding the simple League into an avowal of those principles . When we saw the front presented by those gentlemen at Birmingham ; when we heard the ravings of the Hetworth ' s , the Ritchie ' s , and the Brswstbr's , if we were before sceptical we then confirmed in our views of the intentions of the " left wing . "
Their protestations- were loud and vehement as' to their oneness of pHrpose . Defeated , however , in the war of { atrategem , they have now thrown off the cloak tbat covered deception ; and the two parties have united apon the " Complete Suffrage" question . Did we not anticipate such a move , and such a junction f Did we not aver that such would be the arrangements
and preparations whereby impressions might be made E upon fho constHHenfc body for the next general election ! At the commencement of the Stnrge move , ire : gave ft as our opinion , that Stwrok was toe honest for his party , and would be sacrificed to their deceit . Subsequent circumstances , / however , have "convinced us that JoBEPii ' Btood in no danger from the cunning of others outstripping his own
Untitled Article
We then argued the main question as we shall argue it now . ^ e then contended , as we contend still , for the necessity of union among the Stnrgeites , before we hazard our cause by a junction with contending middle class elements . Although the League are satisfied to go " heels foremost" into the House of Commons , by the conversion of the constituent body to the . principles of " Free Trade" ; making those of Complete Suffrage the test of fitness ; yet we have to ask now ,
as aforetime , if the head and tail of this body move in the same direction 1 Let us see . Cobden may be considered the head ; and he has emphatically declared not only against the name , but against the principles of the People ' s Charter : while the Complete Suffrage whelps who go through the country barking u Union' ]; those belonging to the Complete Suffrage party , profess to support the principles which their head man denounces !
The appearance of poor Neesom at Hall , and his feelers for toleration for the principles of " Free Trade , " together with the ravings of Little Harby , who honors Lancashire with his preseace , are strong indications of the coming tactics of the labour monopolists . Neesom , who received promotion to the rank of Captain , in 1841 , for rioting at "Free Trade"
meetings ; who was one of the Convention of 1839 , from whom a resolution emanated "that it was the duty of the Chartists to oppose the agitation for a Repeal of the Corn Laws" ; he ; this very redoubtable ; this promoted volunteer , has discovered , in 1843 , that" the man who opposes the principles of Free Trade' must be either a fool or a knave . " How hasty this new birth unto righteousness of the veteran 1 How conclusive his potent reasoning ; and what a light has suddenly flashed upon his mind ! We find -Little Harry too , in Lancashire , denouncing in bitterest terms the oppression of . the landlords ; while his " eloquent ' little tongue wags no complaint or murmur against the oppressions .
the tyranny , and the obscenities of the factory slavedriver ! We will tell those " hasty-pudding converts" the cause of their failure in this their new crusade . It arises from the improved state of publio opinion ; a barrier which the Cobdens and Brishts will find standing between them and their ambitions longing after honours to be conferred upon them by a bamboozled constituency . The Recess is the demagogue ' s harvest . The "Free Trade" devils have commencedjtheir campaign , at Ashton , with a right hearty spirit , and have given to the working classes a foretaste of those disasters to which their
uncontrolled power would lead . We find them embracing the moment of "revival of trade" as the fitting time to reduce the wages of their men ; and if t he first gleam of their darling principle has that effect , where , wje would ask , would the fullness of their power end 1 For a season the activity of money , at the command of "free trading" capitalists , may gain an ascendancy over the more sluggish land ; and hence the owners of brass may intimidate the owners of land ; but the [ working classes , anticipating . no triumph from the ascendancy of either , will step in and demand for labour that which belongs to it , but which has been unjustly usurped by both .
When we were weaker than we are now , we opposed and beat down the wiles of the Complete Suffrage and the | Free-Trade" party ; and in our present strength ] we are able to meet and to triumph over their united exertions . We may obseive that these parties must have but a poor opinion of the classes upon whom they hope to operate , when they endeavour to cajole the working people with something like the following sophistry : " We are all for your principles . Don't you seel Isn ' t that clear ; because we adopt them ? But if we were to take your ugly name , don't you set . the middle-class boobies would understand what we were !"
No , as we don't desire to cajole any party , and as it is by an exposition of our principles that we hope to win the support of all , we cannot imagine what strength those principles are likely to derive from persons whose ] ignorance alone is relied apon as a means ofi insuring their co-operation . The very best answer given to those anonymous professors of Chartist faith was that by Dr . Wade , when he told us at Birmingham , not to be cajoled or de ' eeived ; " that it was our principles , and not our name , that the Slurgists dreaded . ' This is the fact ; and gloss their deeds overt aa they may , that belief will never be disturbed from the minds of the Chartist body .
Untitled Article
judges . Our duty is to throw the shield of protection over them when they are right ; to censure them when they are wrong ; and to eaation them as to their mode of proceeding . In the present instance , however , our duty is limited to giving them such caution as may not only be instrumental in achieving their praiseworthy object , bat may also tend to protect them from those snares into which unwilling idlers are at all times likely to fall .
The men then must bear in mind , that $ 0 long as they confine their differences to a mere question of wages so long will the opposiiion of their masters BE LIMITED TO THAT ONE F 0 INT . Should they assume the two-fold capacity of political and wage agitators , that moment wtix the masters assume THEIR DOUBLE CAPACITY OF EMPLOYERS AND JUSTICES ! In the first of these capacities , they will have unlimited power to reduce ; and in the second to coerce into an acquiescence in that reduction .
There is no greater evil , nor one oat of which so much injustice arises , as the possession of that double power by factory masters . The seat of justice , of all spots , should be pure and unblemished : but how can purity sit enthroned between avarice and injustice 1 Even the Government itself will look with a friendly eye upon operatives straggling against the masters' oppression ; whilst the first act that would justify magisterial interference . CONSTITUTES THB MASTERS AS THE
EXECUTIVE GOVERNMENT , WITH POWER INDEPENDENT ; WITH coniroul unlimited . The shopkeepers , who of all classes , are the greatest sufferers from reduced wages , will hesitate before they act as special constables against men merely seeking to raisa the price of labour ; while the shopkeepers , themselves enfranchised , would cheerfully fly , with bludgeon in hand , to the cry of " our privileges are about to be invaded by political ¦ ' Free Traders / who demand participation with us in the exclusive rights that we enjoy . "
We have had several strictures , upon the value of the exposition of the law purchased at Lancaster at so dear a rate ; and we trust that the benefit of that purchase will not have lost its effect : but that those who heard the law as laid down at Lancaster , will be oareful how they pass its limits . The differences between the Ashton operatives and their masters should be confined , wholly and solely , to the question of wages ; and should be wholly and solely discussed by the operatives of Ashton themselves .
Upon all such occasions there are strangers and eaves-droppers , who , regardless of consequences , would urge the starving people info acts of violence and oppression : and , having led to the perpetration of those acts , would be the first to abandon the field . Against such men we would emphatically caution the men on Strike . What they profess to contend for is the power to manage their own affairs . Let their theory be tested by their practice . Shew the world that the intervention of strangers is not required to arbitrate between worker and employer .
Confine the employer within the single character of master ; aud beware how you you invest him with a feasible pretext for adding to it that ef magistrate ! Da not stop to enquire whether the good masters are Anti Free Traders , and whether the bad masters are " Free Traders " : for the very contrast will let in the discussion of" Free Trade , " in opposition to which the principles of the People ' s Charter may be proposed : and thus would the workmen be incautiously dragged from the consideration of the wage question to angry debates as to the means of preventing recurrence of the evil .
" There is a time for all things . " The time to agitate the Charter , is when you are at work ; and when the great principle will not appear to r -qtire gaunt hunger and starvation as a prop . There should be no demonstrations beyond those meetings necessary for conversing with each other , and hearing of the progress of affairs ; and which meetings , if properly conducted , will be a means of preserving the peace . But no marchings upon Manchester ! No compulsory turning out of hands !! No perambulating of hungry and enthusiastic thousands , where a few stragglers , by foolish or malicious acts , may make the wandering body amenable to the laws " of routs , riots , tumults , sedition , and conspiracy . "
In conclusion , again we say , bear in mind the words of the "just Judge . " Lei them be read at the opening of every meeting ; and let each speaker confine himself to the subject matter in dispute , and pass not the strict limits of the law .
Untitled Article
A STEP IN ADVANCE . It would appear as if the underground people were about to read a lesson in practical agitation to those upon the surface of the earth . Heretofore , all the contributions , all the savings , and all the deprivations of the working classes , have but tended to rivet their chains ; to expose their weaknesses ; and to confirm the dominion of the united capitalists . We rejoice , however , to find that past failures have led to increased circumspection , and to a more
economical expenditure of those funds , which , however great , have hitherto proved valueless in all contests between labour and capital . For now a long time the colliers bave complained , not more of the advantages taken of them under the contract system , than of the petty tyrannies practised by the masters in violation of all contract . The want of ventilation ; the disregard of human life ; ihe brutal trat ment by the overseer , have led to increased reflection : while the necessity for their labour , in a land of smoke and fire , has led to a knowledge of their value .
The masters have been long struggling for a Strike 1 But the men have wisely seen that a strike to please the masters , would be ruin to them ! that it would be , in fact , a commencement " de novo ;" and that , after a successful issue of that strike —successful for the masters—that class , without reference to prodaction , woald make their terms to correspond with , the demand for employment ; reducing wages in proportion as population increased .
The men , however , appear to have taken the right view of the question . Instead of expending thousands , and hundreds of thousands t » a fruitless struggle against their masters , and many thousands more in seeking justice from the law , —thus putting the cart before the horse , —they have very wisely resolved this time to put the horse before the cart . The working men wi ll learn with , pleasure , that the Colliers have secured the services of Mk Roberts ,
aa their legal adviser , at a salary of £ 1000 for the first year , and £ 500 for every subsequent year . To those who do not understand profit and loss , this sum may appear large ; while we have no hesi tation in asserting that within any ? given period the legal hawks weuld have plucked their clients of more than forty times the amount ; and that too without conferring a single benefit npon the order . We understand that the colliers have contracted that Mr . Roberts
shall reside at Newcastle ; and ill the conditions made , we think they have evinced much judgment and wisdom . It is to be hoped that , while Mr . Robbrts is amongst them , they will derive the same benefit from his zeal and talent that the Chartists V the South have derived from his legal ability ; and that the connection will continue so long as it is mutually advantageous , and no longer . The nexi step that we shall look to , and with no small anxiety , is
the holding , above greund , of an open Convention , wherein proper ' steps may be taken for the |> rote « - tipn of the body ; while every diUmpt at stcret associ ations and private meetings must be resisted * . The coarse in which'the improved mind of this country is now travelling , must be matter of-congi |( , t | lation to every man loving his coautry , and ; desiring to see prosperity secured without the shedding of human Wood . " _ ' ' ¦' " T .. ' , l
Untitled Article
Suw » EBLANi > .- ^ The Chartists of Snaderland ara respectfully informed that a lecture will be delivered « very Monday evening at eight o ' clock , in the Chartist leeture room , Clark ' s-passage , opposite R « biB ' eon-lane , High-Street . Free admission .
Untitled Article
4 ^ THE NORTHERN STAR . | , ' ¦
Untitled Article
A NORTHERN TOUR . ' ¦ ; -= * - "A cMeTa aming ye takm * notes , - r -Ana , faith , he'll prent it . " JO THX-iBBJTOB OS ; 3 HB 50 BTHEB . S STAB . ^ Dear Sib , —Having taken a hasty run down to ihe ? -lw&'rf-iAie jpotmiaxa and ibe flood , ** for the prirpoie of-visiting Telatwes in-Ayrshire , and . sefflng old friends in snek other parts as my necessarily l imited time wiD , en ihe present occasion , permit me fc ^ BiVand * hinkin « ihat a letter or iwo , desenpfive of * be state of Chartism in ihe places ihrongb which 1 jnay jwss will Toe welcome , Itronble you 'tnathi&tespectfoIlyrequestiDgittinsertira . Ilef ^ heffield « eleven o ' clock on-Saturday morning : Asg . 5 th . Two or ftree members of the ¦ W « iW » t » fimferenea . fljan sattinr ^ Sheffield : Were
In ibe same carriage j and" consequently I started undermost favourable -auspicesin Ihe company of sneh " respectable and pious characters . At Hotaaanton , I left them f arid , on changing my Beat , found myself in the company of a very different cha-3 acter to ihe " parsons , " Tit a professional wit . ' He appeared to bs a commercial traveller—a little good looting mas , between thirty and forty years of age , and cultivatin g a beard and whi skers which the Grand Turk himself might envy . He " uttered many smart thin gs , and kept those around him in a state of good hnmonr , which made ihe journey seem too short in ; Ins company . We Teached Hull at four o'clock .
I spent thai evening with several of my Hull friends , who treated me ~ very kindly . Snnday , August 6 & , I took my passage on board ihejEelipse for Newcastle . We left Hull at one o'clock ; -andno * movinga ^ cidents Daring our progress , 1-have nothing werfh chronicling . Socalm was ice weather that rnoi even a woman or child ¦ was sick ; and a more pleasant passage " by sea could not have been desired . Monday , August 7 th , we reached Snnderland alxnrt « 5 ght o ' clock , and shortly after nine bronghtio , abreast « f Norfii Shields . Itl > eing ebhfide . I got on board one of the small steam-packets plying between Shields and Newcastle , which Boon Drought me io ihe latter tflaee . ' A irand leeafra or boat
lace was coming off that day at Shields , and the shore on each ade was Dned with thousands of ioliday Jolt-waiting for the spozi . At night 3 addressed a meeting in the ChartiBt HaQ , GoaVI&Bi Newcastle . ' The meeting was " not a large one * and Chartism is evidently at a low ebb in Newcastle . Tuesday , August 99 i , I -rislted Snnderland ; and here fell in wilh an old friend from Dundee now residing near Shields . He had come to Snnderland purposely io meet me . In ihe evening 1 addressed a aeetingin fhe-Chartist ipom . The room is in a TerjriadafcuaScm thongh of pretty good size . It
Was well filled , but still -was but a-small meeting . 3 here were present many of our female friends , and the iest ispfrit was shewn ijaH present . I was mnnly ^ pressed io letnrn ; and only got awsy by promising ioTeptsat my . visit on my way l > ack from Scotland . My Snnderland friends treated me most kindly , and I shall certainly iry io respond to their wishes !> y paying them * second visit , -when I » ntacrpatemBetiagthemin iheir strength , the way they gathered In days gone by . Snnderland only wants rousing . Her sons , aye aud daughters too , ¦ would soon rally to the-voice of liberty , and stand farward ^
he—*• Urst ol flie have , and foremost of &e free . * Wednesday , AuguEt 9 th . —I went to South Shields . In fiie evening addressed a splendid open-air meeting on . the . lawc , the sea beach opposite Tjnemonlh . The meet ing was l arge , attentive , and enthusiastic . Several of the middle class , and asumberoffemales , trere present . ~ '~ Curious enough , a Scotchman -preadei He made an excellent speech in introducing lae * and two Scotchmen , Mr . Kydd , formerly of Arbroath and Glasgow , and my Dundee friend , proposed the thanksof ihe meeting >> me for iny address . ThiB Itavrng 1 > een done , two ol l ^ y female friends pToposed a resolution that I should " be invited to a public tea on my return from Scotland , which was carried by acclamation . My fair friends would take bo " nay ?*; but return ! must-Thursday , August IDihi- ^ Annrversary of the RepwWw-jar t ^ vj 11 > tattlntt and destruction of the throne « f the Capets , 17 S 2 ; = and of the proclaiming of the Zresnch Democratic Constitution , 1793 : Glorious
was the Bpriang of the Parisian democracy 1 Magnificent the triumph they so courageously achieved ! Just xa& sublime frerei the prindpJes of thai Constitntiftnj-and wisely planned were-its proviaonato aiaintain ^ heprinciples embodied therein 1 It is a "People ' s Charter" that same constitution , worthy of the name / Well-would it have been for the laeeif ibe ^ peeple of Prance had had the knowledge to appresiat % and -the virlueto maintain , at any eosi , its-principles and prorisionsi Bat , alas for ffiajLkind , the ignorance ^ of the mass of the -people , and the scoundrelism of ihe middle class blasted the iopesof ib £ pii 2 anflirop ist andihBmeaEnresof the patriot ; and doomed man iote for a period longer tite : dupe of knaves , and the victim of tyrants ! "When , O -when , -will- Hie millions rise in their might and power , and take ihat position-which is theirs by natural right , and their exclusion from it an outrage upon nature ' s laws 1
I returned to liewcasue ^ aad iidding it urewell , proceeded to my old stronghold , Winlaton . 1 was ieariily Teceived . by jny fnends . -who almost killed bib wl&ldndnssal In the evening I addressed ' a Tery largeioeeting , - aad was most enthusiastically received . At the concluHon of my address , I was ppposed-hy an . Irish R 3 pealer , named M'Nally , who occaaonall y Sgures i n the Calveshead Observer , asoneof the"light 8 ' of Repeal ^ and like most of tae readers of that precioas ng , it was & most complete compound of ignorance and conceit . He
deli-Tared the DBual tirade of abuse of ihe Chartists , which lie has , learned from ihe speeches of Mb master * * Mokanna ' —ihe ** Irish . Moses . ' ' ' The alleged - " * eonnsclioiL-Tsith the Tories **—*• physical force " - ^* Saxon iatred of Ireland / ' &c &c He accused Ms hearers of cot sympatMsing mth Ireland ; and at ibe same time did hiBoest to irritate amd disgust them by iis abuse and falsehood . You msydepend upon it I dressed him smartly . . Byway of testing the meefing beyond donbt , I proposed two reeolutiona to the followmg effect : —
1 . That this m&sting . jExprefises . its decided oon-Tiction that : justice will sever be done to ihe working classes , Tintil they are represented in the Commons' branch of the Legislature ; and this meeting pledges itself jiever to ceasa ihe agitation for ibe People ' s Charter nntil thai measure be enacted the lawoftheiand . " 2 . "That while ihij meeting etrongly denounces ibe conduct of the leaders of the Repeal movement in the efforts made by them io ^ keep the enslaved classes of both countries divided by ihe Infamous
csalnmnies employed by them against ihe Chartist body , and wMle this meeting Is of opinion ; that a mere Repeal of -the Legislative Union , unaccompanied by Charter Suffrage , wBl be productive of little or 3 K ) sood to the mass of &b Irish people , still the demand for Repeal being a just one , and this meeting being of opinion -&at Ireland can never by goyernedr bat by a domestic Parliament elected by , and therefore ? eprepresentmg ibe whole people , pledges its sympathy ioi&e Irish people in their straggle for richi and josiicei "
The » T « solnSonB : were both passed amidst most entiinaastao cheering only one hand "being raised against them and thit ' was the hand of a clerk or - overlooker . of the place where Jfl'Nally . is « mplaTed I M !* ally Mmself protested against the resolnnons 1 ~ A preaous IriBhman io protest against English sympathy i Ah the humbugs '! nothing galls Mokanna" and his tools worse than- these expresaons of English sympathy . J only conld get firom Winlaton on giving my " word that 1 would Tetom ^ gaiii , if poasblB , on my way home fromScotlaDd . Friday , August 11 th . —Left Winlaton Sot Carlisle . Arrived there , I took np my quarters with
my old fnend . Arthur . At sight I addressed » large ffleetmgat the Market Cross . It was the very worst Bight of the week I . could have been ihexe ; the WBaTers being all on iaepnsh to get their cute ont on ^ ihevBext morning i yet I had an pxcflHppt meet-. l ^^^ w aB prj ^ asdio repeat jny ^ vldt . P ** x ^ Jiij & 3 if 3 tsk ISih . —lef * Carlisle by &e « nal > ia * forBoneB 3 . Rom there I erossedinihe S ivS ^ A 3 fflH 1 ' The Bame ^ evening ^^^^ ° ^^ ¥ ^ * Q ^ een oftheSonth" ; ^^ , « enfle reader , is the tide Maimed f orDnm-- ^^ J ^ tt . cibzenB iindl xunsb admit ihat ihe aou ^ Tike ^ ll other Queens , * he is 3 iot all periW
SSS ^ I SSFpsSSSaiS good . On aU sides ihe necessitv « ri k ««^ t .. \ ffissKsaaffisssSSs any ^ toglDte * general iBrival of fte Ghartis ?^ iion d ^ ^^ ° ^ regretted thai the Confe ^ l ^ : ? T »^ eiam 3 few » sfle 5 : aB I am persuaded d ^ t iad 3 t . l « eniield -taw m would haveprodueed m inealenlaHejanomil-of good . » J « w » wm aa
^^* ColHer ^ Tement" excites , - ^ as may l > esHi > . jposed , very « en ^ anterest ^ -toonghont the nerth . -2 z Jurt » Seinasnr ^ m . iepiral places that a Strike ^^ fll iffl ^ j ^^^«^^ jfcfjr ^ teo months from -tkejH ^ e ^ Jg ^' iJ ^ iSa ^^ o ^ i ^ azn put to be true , ^ misau ^^ j ^' - Mr ^ g ^ mas ' beji ^ safeh / predicted lH-52 Ui ^ asi £ THs 3 SgOBWILL BE RUIN AKD ^^ W&OwtittvoTJmgsichVik $ Mg ihbm ~ aris WILL ^ E ^ WORSEi ^ HAK-THE PRE-. SENT 4 , I ^ fi ^ m ^^ ie ^^ eitnen . ttmra ^ Sinke , aad will spare 110 in « ttslo ^ et ' jip one . Letthepii-^ efi « Be ^ it ^'^^ y ^ yira ^^ ey 4 eniaEd » and » s 3 » at ^^^ o » e ; jprbTidfii ^ 3 iey goiightiy to vrork . Bni ^ ey % n * tMfe Orgamiafeon—an Organbadon TrMoh shall smbrxee tiie whole of tbeir class , from Join VGroafs to ths Lsad'e End . They must hav »
Untitled Article
THE ASHTON STRIKE . We give the ] following commentary upon the Ashton Strike from the Manchester Guardian of Wednesday last , from which it will be learned that notwithstanding the desire of the writer to press hardly upon the operatives , yet , in the endeavour , he is compelled to exhibit th ? ir love of justice : — " We give els iwhere the particulars which have reached us in reference to the pending turn-out at Ashton-under-llyne , from which it will be seen tbat the contest remains unaltered in its leading features . The work-people , with one or two trifling exceptions ,
remain out ; but their example has not been followed in any other quarter . Indeed the flagrant absurdity of the course pursued by the spinners at Ashton ib by no means calculated to encourage imitation . Not only have they left their employment in mills where the ] wages were quite as high as those demanded in their own list ; but in some oases they have turned out , not for an advance , but for a reduction of wages ; having actually required their employers to pay according to a list which would diminish their wageB by about 2 j , a-week ! The
fact is , that these very foolish people are led into all sorts of absurd acts by a small knot of men who prey upon themj and contrive to make a good living out of their follies and sufferings . If the spinners of Ashton would revert to what took place so lately as last year ; if they would read over the promises which were at { that time made them by the very people who are now misleading them , and would recollect the misery they endured ff om a reliance on those promises ,- | -tney would surely see the folly of being again deluded in the same manner . "
The view taken of this subject by the Guardian is of itself sufficient to demonstrate two things : firstly , that the ! regulation sought by the men would be equally advantageous to the masters as to the operatives ; and , secondly , that the operatives , so far from seeking to take advantage of " improved trade" as a means of enforcing an advance in their wages , merely look for an equalization r a determination which' makes working-etass justice stand out in bold relief against the seflshness and cupidity of the employers . ¦
We charged jMr . Abbl Buckley last week with being the Pilot Engine , " started by the masters in their experimental crusade against the men . We now learn , ! however , that we have done that gentleman injustice ; inasmuch as the step taken by him was forced upon him as a means o / pbotection against the more grinding ofh . it trade . Mr . Buckley , it appears , was paying higher wages than most other masters ; and however the others might be
satisfied with their profits , —profits perhaps wholly arising out of the reduction of wages ; the darling principle of " Free Trade" and of "fair trade" was violated . It would be impossible for Mr . Buckley , paying a higher rate of wages than his nei ^ hbour ^ to compete with them in the market . Those who attended the trials at Lancaster , or who have read a , report of them , will know that several masters
who were examined , as well as the operatives who defended themselves , described the inequality of wages as one of the greatest grievances endured . The produce ^> f all is brought into the same market ; and the profit of those who pay the highest rate is swallowed up by the lower amount , at which the reducing mastetB can dispose of that produce . If this reasoning be sound and tenable , who ean come to other j conclusion than that a speedy arrangement is as much the interest of the masters
as of the men t We shall offer no opinion as to the pradenoe of the Strike ; bal we find a-very honourable justification for tfee men in the article selected from the Manchester Guardian . Thsye are questions of whioh the working men themselves mu 3 t be the best
-
-
Citation
-
Northern Star (1837-1852), Aug. 19, 1843, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct815/page/4/
-