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Stofrtttggeg, ke.
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— iv LEEDS BOgEOUOH SESSIONS.
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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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NOTICE IS HEftEBY ;^ . tVEN , That the neat UsjiKiui Qvxbxs ?* Sessions ^ of ths Pjuce for the Borough ot Leeijs , in the County of York , will beholden before Thomas Flowbb Ellis the Younger , Esquire , Recorder of * he said Borough at the Court House , in Leeds i on Wbdnbsdat th ? Seventh Day of July next , at Two o'Clock in the Afternoon , at which time and place all Jurors . Constables , Police Officers , Prosecutors , Witnesses ! Pereons bound by Recognizances , and others havinit business at the said Sessions , are required to attend And Notice is hereby also Gives , That all Appeals not previously disposed of will be heard at the opening of the Court , on Friday , the 9 th day of July next , and that all Proceedings under the Highway Act , will be taken on the First Day of tha Sessions .
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KJBjftamS WtETt ' ttP- ^ C . GRIMSHAW & CO ., 10 , &OREE PIAZZAS , GEORGE'S DOCK . LIVERPOOL , D | mp * V i - fine / tot-C 1 ** AMERICAN I / SHIP * , of large _ Tonnage , for the following Ports , . namely : — NEW YoRK , PHILADELPHIA . BALTIMORE , BOSTON , and NEW ORLEANS , in which Passengers caa be accommodated with comfortable berths in the Cabin , second Cabin , and Steerage . Persons abont to emigrate may save themselves the expence and delay of waiting in Liverpool , by writing a Letter , addressed as above , which will be immediately answered , the exact day of sailing , and the amount of Passage-money told them ; by remitting a part of the Passage Money to Liverpool , Berths will be secured , and it will not be necessary for them to b * in Liverpool till the day before sailing . \ '
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Just Published , Price Two Shillings , Cloth , PAPER AGAINST GOLD , containing the His-L tory of the Bank of England , the Funds , tht Debt , the Sinking Fund , and the Bank Stoppage ; also showing how Money is raised or lowered ia value by alterations in its qualities ; and the evil effects of the whole npon the Community . By Wm . Cobbett , condensed by Maugiret Chappelsmith ,
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MEDICAL ADVICE . MESSRS . WILKINSON AND CO ., SURGEONS , No . 13 , Trafalgar-street , Leeds , and 34 , Printi Edward-street , Fox-street , Liverpool , H AVING devoted their Studies exclusively for many years to the successful treatment of tht Venereal Disease , in all its various forms ; also , U the frightful consequences resulting from that destructive practice , ** Self Abuse , " may b »
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TO THE ELECTORS AND NON-ELECTORS OF THE WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE . Fbhotjs axd Coustrtmkh , H AYING been solicited by the delegates of the unrepresented people ( assembled from all parts © f the Riding ) in Dewsbnry , this day , to allow myself to be put in nomination as a candidate for the representation of the West Riding , I have deemed it my duty to at once comply , and in responding to the call made upon me , see the necessity and propriety of miking known the principles in support of which I claim your suffrages . I appear before you as the humble advocate of of that great body of our countrymen excluded by the present legislative system from all
participation in those rights said franchises held and exercised by the other classes of the community . I see around me the men of my own order ( the working class ) creating ( under God ) all wealth yet enjoying none—earning that bread in the " sweat of theif brow , " - which they themselves do not eat , but which is devoured by the drones , the schemers , and plunderers of society . From personal connection , correspondence , and eommunicatioa , I can speak to the nniTersar spirit of ^ isroutciit existing in the breasts of the labouring many . I know that disaffection toward all existing institutions perrades the mass of the working classes . I know that they regard with
scorn and contempt the miserably delusive measures of Reform lately propounded to the country by the present Advisers of the Sovereign . What will the proposed trifling reduction per pound in the price of Sugar ; the proposed alteration ( for the worse ) in the Duties on Timber ; the proposed alteration in the Corn Laws , intended solely to bolster up a decreasing Revenue ; what will these changes do for the wretched hand-loom weaver existing npon 2 s . 9 d ., 3 i 6 dM and 43 . 6 i . per week ? For the miserably-paid agricultural labourer ! For the tens of thousands of the destitute of England , Scotland , and Ireland wilting to earn by labour their subsistence , but unable to find it !
A change is required , not to keep one faction m and another faction out ; but a change that will socially benefit the mighty mass—that shall guarantee to him who toils the fruits of his labour . How is such change to be effected ! Will titled Aristocrats or wealthy Commoners do that for you which would ameliorate their class-usurpation ! Not they indeed . Hovr then i 3 such change to be brought abont ! By the destruction of class-legislation and the representation of the oppressed wealthproducers . Seeing , in the present system of legislation , the cause of the political debasement and social wretchedness of the working class , I seek for the enfranchisement ( politically and socially ) of that class by the recognition and adoption of the principles of the People ' s Charter .
I demand the extension of the Suffrage to every male that shall hare attained the years of manhood . First , on the ground of right , believing , that M all men are born free and equal . " Second , on the ground of protection , that labour may legislate for labour , and that the rich , through class made laws , may no longer grind the faces of the poor . Opposed in principl e to secret voting , I would nevertheless give my support to the Ballot as a means of protection to the weak . against the tyratny of the strong . A yinni . 1 or Sessional P » rii * inents I would most cordi&lly sappoTt . A more equal division of Electoral Districts is absolntely necessary to avoid the gross
anomalies of the present system . The Property Qualification at present required , on the part of English and Irish Representatives is a gross lnsilt to every principle of justice , the people's approval should be the only qualification of the legislator . Each Representativesnould receive wages for attendance , that he may be truly the servant of the people , they ( the people ) having the power to dismiss him from their service when failing to fulfil tne duties of hi a mission . Jg . Only when the people are represented will legislative measures be adopted for the good of all . 5 | But , in the meantime , it is perhaps necessary that I should state briefly my sentiments npon certain great questions connected with the welfare of our
eommou country . I am sternly opposed to the New Poor Law , both in principle and detail , and will seek its immediate and total repeal . Regarding with horror and indignation the * wholesale murder of the children of the poor in the manufacturing districts , the Ten Hoars Bill shall have my hearty rapport ; and I will seek by every means in my power to promote a complete reform of factory labour . Seeing in local government the best palladium of national liberty , I am opposed to all schemes of ' centralisation . " I am hostile to any scheme of Rural Police , and consider that the complete controol over the police of towns and boroughs should be vested in the hands of the inhabitants . I am opposed to all restrictions upon knowledge , and will seek the repeal of all laws and taxes fettering the press .
The advocate of religious as well as civil liberty , I contend against the existence of a state church , or compulsory exactions for the support of any sect or creed . I will support a total repeal of the Corn Laws accompanied by such a reduction of taxation as will allow the British fanner to compete with the foreign corn grower ; and give to the manufacturing population , the benefit of such repeal without inflicting injury upon the agricultural classes . 1 am lor the repeal of all " monopolies" by the repeal of the " * monopoly" of legislation . With respect to Ireland , I am decidedly in favour of a Repeal of the Legislative Union , believing tVa . t it would be for the interest and welfare of both countries that Ireland should constitute and legislaie for herself .
If elected as your Representative , I shall use ' very exertion to procure the liberation and restora- ; tion of all those suffering in prison or in exile for their advocacy af the rights of man . Elector , —I have briefly but explicitly stated my i principles—the grounds upon which I hope for your j Suffrages ; in yeu is reposed a weighty trust , see i that yon exereise that trust for the good of all . We ! are on the eve of a change , which no earthly powcr ' ean avert , it is for you to say how that change shall j be effected . W ; are on the very threshold of " Re- ;
volution , it i 3 for you to decide whether that" Re- > volution" shall be peaceably bronght about with your assistance , or whether the disfranchised many shall ba compelled k > right themselve 3 in spite of j your opposition—in the latter case the consequences are frightful to contemplate . Believe me , mere brute force cannot much longer stifle the voice of the oppressed and the enslaved . Non-Electors , —The principles set forth in this address are no new principles adopted for the occarion ; for years I have struggled for their triumph ; my fir 3 t services in your cause entitle me to look for that support of which I feel confident .
Friends and Countrymen , —Now is the time to assert your claim to tee suffrage ; long disfranchised —long enslaved , cease to ba the willing serfs of faction . _ Attend ia your thoasands and tens of thousands , on the day of nominatios , and once , and for ever , set aside the odious and wicked distinction ef the " privileged few , " and the *• subject many . " Demand your rights , and practically assert yourdemand . I am , Your devoted Friend and Servant , GEORGE JULIAN HARNEY . Dewsbnry , June 20 , 1841 .
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TO THE ELECTORS AND NON-ELECT UH 5 uh
THE BOROUGH OF LEEDS . HAVING- been invited to become a Candidate for the Representation of your Borough , I cheeruliy comply , and rest my hopes of s-ucc < - £ - » upon the coincidence between my principles and objects , and your interests aad duties . There are periods in the history of nations , -when events concur to produce a crisis , in which attention to the constitution and workings of Government , the condition of the people , their grievances , opituona and feelings , become the Eacred duty of alL The present is such a period . The voice of disconttnt rio £ 3 through the land , and the cry of the oppressed piercsth the heavens . Merchants and Manufacturers , Masters aad Workmen , all , in fact , excepthose privileged to live en the resources develope , and wealth
produced by the mind , Bkill , and labour of the people , are dissatisfied with things as they are . Oppression and frand increase daily . Huin and ud .-endurable misery are fruite of things as -they are therefore , a change is demanded . ^ iB -ae * s Bnt what change ! What change is adequate to the emergencies of the case , and capable of effectually eradicating existing evils ! What change ¦ will make England and Englishmen what they ought t ? bit Tarione Mheaa * are ffered by par-Mas « 2 aiBin * your Suffrages . Wkiek is the best That it tkc qustktB , t * e » Q * t * tioa » f Questions , " which yoa mast b * w decide J A * a » Englishman attacked U ay eeantry , and a saa desirous « f advancing the condition of my lacs , I resBwtfeBj utimh mj news © f the meani by which Uu hon * u and happimeu ef both would beaeesrW .
* Bej < wt , * nd fear not . " That is my remedy ; Hie foundation of my political creed . Class Legislation , and Irresponsible Tower , are opposed to this . I believe them , therefore , to be she source of our miseries—Government by and for the pecplo , the enly remedy . Justice to the People requires , that the voice of their Representatives be heard in the Legislature which makes laws affecting their lives , means of exUtence , and happinesi . This Justice to the People is not only compatible with , but inseparable £° ?> . ™« L » 4 happiness of alL I am , therefore , no Political PftrtzBfi , nor Party Slave ,
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My Principles are embodied in the People ' s Charter , snd are admitted , by > H , to be abstractedly , just ; but I hold that where Justice is an abstractum , Injustice must be a realitg . -. The Principles of the Charter would rest the Government of th « Country ia Mea of Mature Age and Sound Mind ; the present system enfranchises and legislates for Bricks , Mortar , and Money . The former is a Living Soul , the latter a Dead Matter Suffrage . I am not onlv for the Repeal of the Corn Laws
but the abolition of all DutieB upon Imports and Exports . I would make Trade as free as the air we breathe , and abolishing all ether Taxes , would provide the needful expenses of a just Governmment by a Tux upon Property . I maintain tha right of the Unemployed Labourer , as well as the Aged and Infirm , to a subsistence from the soil of his native Land ; and shall , therefore , oppose the present Poor Lav as insufficient in its provisions , as well as insulting and despotic in its administration .
My opinions on other snbjects I shall have an opportunity of submitting to job shortly ; in the meantime , I assure you your Choioe shall be my Qualification , your approbation my reward , and the promotion of your universal . Interests my highest Happiness . ; j ,-i I am , Gentlemen , " v Yonr Friend and Servant , JAMES WILLIAMS . Sunderland , June 12 , 1841 .
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TO THE ELECTORS AND NON-ELECTORS OF THE BOROUGH OF LEEDS . rriHE time has arrived when anew Government J . has to be formed out of the Representatives of the National Mind . In the struggle for the selection and election of such Representatives Leeds has to take a part ; and already are four Candidates , in the respective interest of the two great factions who have ruined our country , claimants for your " sweet voices . ' To meet the usurped power of faction , you have , in Public Meeting assembled , called upon me to become a Candidate for the Representation of your Borough , associating me with a noble colleague—one of Nature ' s Gentlemen . I have great pleasure in responding to your call : and hope to prove myself
worthy of your confidence by exhibiting the mcompetency of our opponents to legislate for the present enlightened race of "ignorant" Englishmen . I am a plain , blunt man ; so " ignorant , " that I am not considered worthy of being trusted with the power , or even the right , of judging of the respective merits of those who plead for your Votes ; while you consider me worthy the distinguished honour of standing by their side as a Competitor . My opinion on ftie questions of " the Suffrage , the Ballot , and the Church , " are not" in process of formation" ! They are fully matured and confirmed .
I trust , therefore , that I shall not require "drilling " to *• render " me " sufficiently acceptable te the Electors" on these points ! I am a firm and uncompromising advocate for the immediate legislative adoption of the People ' s Charter—a document drawn up by Dan O'Connell , Mr . Roebuck , Mr . Hume , and others . This measure duly provides for the ju 3 t Representation of the whole People ; secures the free exereise of the Franchise ; and puts an effectual stop to tho practice of Bribery and Corruption which now so notoriously prevails . Under its provisions the House of Commons could be no other than a true reflex of the
National Mind . Belonging t © the people ; having n « interest but in common with the people ; working for the people ( in Parliament if sent ) as 1 hare hitherto worked among the people , I shall be free from the trammels of party or faction ; and shall not have to sacrifice honour , honesty , truth , consistency , and character to maintain the ascendency ef any one set of miscreants over another . I shall never be obliged to vote that " black is white" to preserve my friends in office !!
I make no difference in the creeds of Whig and Tory . The whole ( if any ) consists in their position relatively to the two little monosyllables— " in" and " out ! " The Whigs in are Torie 3 -. —the Whig 3 out , are anything tbat you wish to make them to secure their ** innings" !! As a charge has lately boen made by the hired press against that body to which I have the honour to belong—" the Chartist-paid Missionaries , "—a word here , perhaps , may not be out pls . ee . We Slave been called Trafficking Politicians . " For the present I shall rest quietly under the charge ; but apon the day of Nomination I shall take the liberty yf questioning both " the noble soldier , " and the ' prostituted barrister" as to the difference of our
respective callings : and I think I shall be able to show , that while I BtiU eat the bread of henest toil . that one of my competitors is a tool ready to be hired it so much per day for the honourable service of indiscriminate slaughter , while the other is ready to prostitute himself , for pay , to the indiscriminate support of right or wrong—the first comer being the object of his protection and support . . Electors and Non-Electors !—A great and mighty change is at hand ! and it behoves us to be prepared with the proper machinery fer working out that change . Hitherto all Revolutions have failed , because the people have not beea prepared with a new system to replace the old one ; the intermediate space between the death of one system and the
establishment of another having generally been one of Physical Revolution , in which the paramount and general good of the people has been overlooked . - To constitute a small cog in the required machinery I take to be the purpose to which you mean to apply me and my honourable colleague should you elect us ; that is , we shall form a portion of the National Representation of the National Will , ready to act for the Nation when society shall be conVnlsed , ( as in all probability it will be ) by the interested struggles of the two rival factions for supremacy . Whatever danger may be consequent « t * m tbat position , I willingly undertake it ; and shall not shrink from anv honourable task imposed
upon me by my Constitutents . We are in the midst of a mighty struggle between L * . nd and Machinery . The question of the rightful and harmonious application of these two elements of production is one of paramount importance , though few understand its bearings . I flatter myself that I know some little on each branch of the subject , having had practical acquaintance with both . We mast return from a too-artificial , te a more natural state of Society . Then will each of these great sources of Wealth and Happiness find its true place in the estimation of Society , and produce its natural results . Agriculture will then be fostered , and not discouraged ; and Machixeby will be made to work for man , instead of working against him , as at present .
Looking anxiously for the day when unprotected Labocq shall meet protected Capital , before an unprejudiced jury of EnglisbjneB . I am , Your devoted Friend and Servant , JAMES LEECH . Manchester , June Uth , 1841 .
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TO THE ELECTORS AND INHABITANTS' OF
THE BOROUGH OF ROCHDALE . Electors and Iijhabitants op Rochdale , I CO ME before you , at this great Crisis , a 3 the candidate for your representation , net assuming that position at my own seeking , but ander the command of a great body of your Electors , signified to me by their written requisition , and since sanctioned at your late Meeting , by the unanimous approval of your assembled Citizens—not assembled in privacy , or within walls , wbere opponents could be excluded —but in an open space where every individual had the unrestricted power to enter , after a Procession
through your Streets , which gave the greatest possible publicity w the object . I am not so presumptuous ta consider this proceeding as a manifestation of personal favour to myself ; I hold it as a declararation of yeur adhesioa to that great Cause which we jointly snpport : —that Cause is , the Abatement of Monopolies , Political , Religious , and Commercial ;—it was this cause which , at your Meeting and Procession on Saturday evening , produced such unanimity and enthusiasm—that through the extended range of that Procession , and at that Meeting , not one murmur of dissent was heard .
When I avow myself the Opponent of all Monopolies , I proclaim the advocacy of every Measure which can produce Political , Religious , and Commercial Freedom . I desire , by the just Extension of the Suffrage to all Classes of the Community , protected by the Ballot , to destroy the Monopoly of Representation by which ihe / ew have been hitherto enabled to make Lvivs to the injury of the many : —and I hold this Monopoly of Representation t » be the grand source from which every other Monopoly has derived its existence and support . _ I desire to Establish Religwu Liberty , by A bolishing Church Rates and all Compulsory ^ Assessments , torougn the means of which a man may be required to pay for the Ministry or Ordinances of a Cnurch witn which he is net joined in communion . I desire to establish Commercial Liberty , bv Repealing all Duties imposed for the Protection A Uass Intere 8 tsamong 8 t which I eonsiderthe Duties on
, uorn to be the most previous , ppresaire , and unjust , —asd rendered still more intolerable , whilst through the means of the New Poor Law , the provision for the Poor has been curtailed , and the terma of relief rendered so hard and offensive to tho honest feeling a of £ ngli 3 h Independence as to induce the sufferers to submit , in many cases , to the extinction of life through want and disease , rather than humble themselvea to the degrading condition of a Workhouse . By these unjust enactments , discontent has been generated , th « attachment of Englishmen to the constitution of their Country has been weakened , outrage has been the unfortunate consequence , your Ja-ils nave been filled with Political Offenders , and under pretence of enforcing good order—the constitutional Constable has been exchanged for the hired Folieemen—the noble institutions of your Great Alfred have been cancelled—Englishmen are no longer to be the unpaid guardians of tlieir own
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peace—and a body has been formed under the . name of a Rural Police , for the snpport of which , yoar Taxes have been increased , and an instrument bis been created , which , in the hands of aa arbitrary Government , might . speedily be converted into a Standing Army independent of the control of Parliament , and applied to the subversion of all the Constitutional rights « fth ^ people . - My desire is to restore your country to good order , not by the continuance of imprisonments and punishmenta , and despotic establishments , but by such improved Laws and By stems of policy as will secure the attachment of the People to their form of Government , and their obedience to the authorities of the State , by a sense of the practical benefits secured to them .
With reference to Ireland , I claim for that portion of the United Kingdom , Equal Rights , and Privileges , and Franchises with Britain , and desire to incorporate the interests of the two Conntries by the communication of mutual advantages , through the means of just and impartial principles of united Legislation . Electors and People of Rochdale , Bach is an abstract of my opinions , my well considered opinions —which I have more fully explaioeaptyon at yoar public meetings : —I have told you alsWthat 1 will not go to Parliament to support the objects of an ;
Party or Ministry , or any Leader , but to sustain to the best of my judgment , by my honest votes , the combined interests of all Classes of the Community * . and impressed with the evil of the lengthened duration of Parliaments , I reiterate the pledge of annually submitting my Parliamentary Conduct to the test of your decision , and if called on , at any time , by any considerable number of the voters who supported me , I promise to re-place in your hands the trust of your Representation . If I go into the House of Commons in a capacity to serve you , I must go there by your free , unsolicited , and unpurchased voices : —On no other terms can I consent to
be your Representative . Electors of Rochdale , I feel there are no personal grounds on which I could solicit the position of yonr Representative . We come together with a view of acting for the common good ef our Country : we desire , at this great Crisis , to take the best steps to promote those Reformed Systems which the National Interests imperatively require . For these objects our connection must be founded on pnblic virtue . Electors and Inhabitants of Rochdale , I am informed that the friends of Monopolies will attempt to make a stand against us , by maans of the power which the monopoly of the rights of voting supplies them . That they hope , by private workings and undue influences , and , abo ^ e all , by creating divisions , to swamp the votes of the Liberal Electors , and defeat that power which would be impregnablo
to th « ir attacks if the Elective Franchise were diffused to a just extent through your Working Classes . Be on your guard , therefore . Recollect "That united we stand—divided we fall . " Think not of the individual Candidate , but of the cause , —think of your wives and families—think of your working fellow townsmen , the Non-Electors , and then ask , — will yon give your votes in support of those monopolies by which the sources of employment are closed , whilst at the same time the prices of food are raised !—Electors , recollect that the more the franchise is limited , the higher are the responsibilities of those who hold it . Permit me , in can elusion , to call to your mind the memorable words of Nelson , — " England expects every man to do his duty ! " Acting upon this motive alone , I offer myself to your servioe . Your faithful Servant , WM . SHARMAN CRAWFORD . Rochdale , Jane 7 tk , 1641 .
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TO THE ELECTORS OF THE BOROUGH OF BRADFORD , p ENTLEMEN , —You are about to be called upon IT to exercise the important Trust which yon hold in common with the other Electors of this Kingdom , of returning Representatives of your opinions to Parliament . The present Political Crisis is perhaps of m ^ re importance to the industrious and productive Classes of our Countrymen than any that has occurred in our history . A struggle is about to ensue between the two great Factions of the State for Political Power . —They are so nicely balanced that it will require but a very few Independent Men in Parliament to turn the scale on whatever side is most favourable to the People . It behoves yon therefore to exercise the Elective Franchise with caution and discrimination . Have
a clear understanding with the Candidates , and endeavour to return , at least , one independent of party ; for the great advantage of having only a few such men in the ensuing Parliament is obvious . They all hold the Balance of Power , and the cause of the People mnst progress . In responding to your call , it is but right that I should give you a candid statement of my political principles . They are , adopting the maxim of Bent ham , to secure te the People the greatest happiness of the greatest number ! To arrive at that desirable end , I bdieveit necessary to give to them Universal Suffrage and increased facilities for acquiring knowledge , by a National System of Education founded on liberal and enlightened principles . I am for restoring to the People their ancient usage of electing their representatives Annually , and that the / should be paid for their Services , believing these
measures to be of the utmost importance in securing a real Representation of the People in Parliament ^ establishing , on a firm basis , that dependence of the Representatives upon the Represented , which is essential to good Government . I am also for a division of the Kingdom into Electoral Departments , depending in their divisions upon an equal amount of population , as one of the means of getting a fair Representation of the People , by destroying the preseat corrupt and iniquitouB system of permitting Boroughs with a population of 4 , 000 to exercise the same influence in the State as those containing 100 , 000 inhabitants . I am an advocate for the Vote by Ballot , not from principle , but expediency , looking upon it under the present confined arrangement , as the only means of destroying the corrupt system of influence and bribery at Elections . The foregoing I consider fundamental principles called into existence by the increasing intelligence of the
age . With regard to those Measures now exciting public Discussion , I am for a Total Repeal of the Cora Laws , believing them to be an iniquitous tax upon the many for the benefit of the few ; and an impediment to the Extension of the great Resources of this Country , her Manufacturing Industry and Capacity . I am for a Repeal of all those Laws which prevent the freest Intercourse of nations in their Commercial Transactions , believing such Restrictions to be disadvantageous to the great mass of the People in this Country , and an Impediment to the Advancement of the Civilization of Mankind . I am in favour of a Graduated Property Tax , as the fairest which can be levied , to supply the deficiency of Revenue which might be occasioned by an alteration of our Commercial Code .
I am opposed to the New Poor Law , considering it Unchristian and Inhuman , in sacrificing tho nearest and dearest Ties of Humanity to Political Economy . I am for the Abolition of Church Rates , looking upon them as oppressive and dishonest towards the Dissenters , in calling upon them to contribute to the support of a Structure in which they never congregate . This is the general outline of my Principles ; not taken up for the occasioa , but which I have held throughout life . I have Independence and Leisure , both essential for the proper performance of the duty of a Representative of the People in Parliament . If you think my Principles claim your support , my time and energies are at your service ; but by no
bribery or Intoxication , ( being a decided friend to the Temperance Cause , ) will I compromise my Principles , or endeavour to oorrupt you . I shall then have the satisfaction , in caBe of my Election , of entering upon my duties bold and fearless , in having been returned by Honest and Independent Electors . On the other hand , in case I should not be chosen by a Majority of you , I shall have the satisfaction of retiring into private life without a single unpleasant feeling , but with the consciousness of having honestly offered to my supporters the means of recording their opinions in favour of the Political Principles of which I am the bumble Advocate . I remain , Gentlemen , Yuur's , faithfully and sincerelv . W . SIMPSON . Bradmore-House , Hammersmith , June 12 ; h , 1841 .
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TO THE ELECTORS OF THE CITY OF PERTH . riENTLEMEN , —I have been solicited by anu-U merous portion of your fellow-citizens to allow myself to be pat in nomination as a Candidate for your suffrages at the approaching election . And , gentlemen , I assure you , that nothing but a high sense of public duty , and the hope of preventing the representation of your city from falling within the pale of Aristocratic or Ministerial influence , could have induced me to come forward . It is a matter of imperious necessity that some thorough Radical Reformer should stand forward to vindicate the purity of your principles , the freedom of yonr election , and the independence of yoar character .
l accept the invitation with a determination to assist you in defeating the nnconstitutional intentions of the present Government , in thus attempting to force upon you a Placeman as your representative —a Placeman , too , wbfjalready puts into his pocket £ 3 , 500 per annum out of the public taxes , wrung from tfee industry of the poor . Your object is laudable , and I hope you will succeed in frustrating their design by placing my name at the head of the poll . I make no lofty pretensions , — I can boast of no aristocratical connection , no family influence , no corrupted instruments of power , —I depend entirely upon the reliance you may place upon the honesty of my principles and the integrity of mj actions .
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I solicit your suffrages as a thorough Radical Reformer of the old school , —unused to the new fangled doctrine of " Expediency , " or to the claptrap theories of the present Government , —I am opposed to Finality" principles in every sense of the word , and 1 am therefore determined to go on radically reforming the Commons Houae upon the principles of Universal Suffrage , Annual Parliaments , aud Vote by Ballot . : . As a Radical Reformer I am opposed to every species of Monopoly , whether of power or of wealth . I am opposed to the Monopoly of the Bank of England , because I conceive that its connection with the Exchequer is dangerous to the commonwealth—its pewer over the monetary interests of the country injurious to trade and commerce , and its influence over the whole property in the country , an evil which demands the serious attention of the Legislature .
I am opposed to the Corn Laws upon principle ; because 1 conceive them to be nnjust , impolitic , inhuman , and unchristian ; and am therefore opposed to the Government plan of a fixed duty , in the full conviction that any tax upon food is an injustice that ought not to be tolerated . I am an Advocate for their Total Repeal I I conceive that the question of Free Trade aa brought forward by the present Ministry is a scheme to gam popularity—a mere stalking horse to delude the people with new promises , which , like all the rest , ore sure to be broken—a speculation to gain a little strength to uphold their rotten and rickety administration .
I am in favour of Free Trade ; but would also free the industry of the people from the enormous amount of Taxation they are called upon to pay for the support of the State , and supply the deficiency of the revenue by a tax upon all real and funded property ; then , instead of merely revising the import duties , we could safely abolish them altogether . The industry of our people , combined with our natural and artificial resources , would enable us to compete with any nation in the world . Why then should we fear competition t If we had a cheap Government , we should not . We ask it—we demand Free Trade , Free Labour , Free Institutions . As a Radical Reformer , and an advocate of self government , I am opposed to the grand scheme of
centralization—a scheme set on foot by the present Government ( of which the Hon . Fox Maule is an active member ) to subjugate the people and destroy every vestige of Constitutional freedom that our ancestors have fought for and defended with their lives . To the Rural Police scheme , for . filling the country with Gendarmerie , I am heartily opposed ; and also to the principle of the New Poor Law Amendment Act . Though its baneful and destructive influence has not touched your land , recollect England is already cursed with it—Ireland is under its baa—Wales is falling beneath its deadly blight . You , people of Scotland , cannot expect long to escape from its poisonous touch . Be prepared , then , and return to Parliament one who will use his
endeavours to resist the invasion of the Poor Law Commissioners upon your constitutional right . I am opposed to the connection betwixt Church and State . I hold it wrong in principle , and utterly at variance with the precepts of Christianity , to tax a man for the support of any religion with which he does not conscientiously agree . As a Christian , were 1 in Parliament , 1 would vote for the abolition of clerical imposts , of all stipendiary ministers and high cnurch dignitaries , all exactions , oblations , fees , and emoluments , levied by the clergy in the name of an established religioa , whether in the Church of England and Ireland , or in the Kirk of Scotland , an « t throw religion upon its own merits , and its support upon the voluntary contributions of
its adherents . I am also opposed to the existence of oar English Ecclesiastical Courts , believing that such institutions are not compatible with our sacred religion , whose precepts teach us * ' Peace on earth , and good will towards all men . " These are my views . If you agree with me , I hope you will give me your cordial support . And , Gentlemen , depend upon it . if I succeed at the Poll , I mil serve you faithfully , honestly , and honourably , so long as I maintain your confidence . And farther , I pledge myself , in accordance with my views of Annual Parliaments , to appear before you once a year , and give you an account of my services in your cause . I have the honour to be , Gentlemen , Your most obedient servant , R . J . RICHAHDSON .
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TO THE INDEPENDENT ELECTORS OF THE BOROUGH OF MARYLEBONE . rt ENTLEMEN , —A dissolution of Parliament is VX at hand , and you will be shortly called upon to exercise your most valuable rights as freemen . Permit me , on this occasion , to solicit your suffrages . The Son of a Member of Parliament , my attention has been early directed to the science of Politics , and I have there learned to recognise the great principle of equal rights and equal privileges . i therefore boldly , unhesitatingly , uncompromisingly avow myself the advocate of Universal Suffrage , which shall secure to every adult male the right to the vote in the locality wherein he resides . The recognition of that right I believe to be the best security for the rich , as it is the only guarantee for the poor . I am decidedly opposed to the New Poor Law
Amendment Act . The principle which has been avowed by its advocates , that no distinction shall be made between poverty , the effect of misfortune , or the fruit of crime , 1 detest , as equally abhorrent to the feelings of Humanity and the dictates of Christianity . The centralized authority of the Poor Law Commissioners I look upon as unconstitutional . Its exercise heartless and tyrannical . My best efforts , therefore , would be directed to its repeal , and a return to those principles which shall secure the benefits of the Act of Elizabeth without the abases . Having successfully , after obtaining the highest academical honours , studied in the three faculties of Law , Medicine , and Theology , I venture to hope that my services might prove useful upon many questions connected with these subjects that come before the Parliament .
Being a resident in the Borough , its Local Interests must necessarily engage my best attention . Should you do me the high honour to elect me as your Representative in Parliament , I truBt you will ever find me active in business , unremitting in exertion , and unwearied in application . Neither Whig uer Tory , it shall be my preud boast to be , indeed , and in truth , the Representative of me People . I have the honour to be , Gentlemen , Your mo ? t obedient humble Servant , WILLIAM V 1 LLIERS SANKEY , M . A , 30 , Harwood Street , June 15 , 1841 .
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TO THE ELECTORS AND NON-ELECTORS OF CLACKMANNAN AND KINROSS-SHIRES . A REQUISITION , signed by a number of the electors xx and all the Chartist Associations , has been put into my hand calling upon me to become a candidate at the forthcoming election for Clackmannan and Kinoss-skire . I feel honoured in such an invitation , and accept it with the determination of prosecuting the canvass to the utmost extent the people may deem it tight . I understand tbat Col . Abercromby is already in the field upon the Whig interest It ia currently reported that a candidate for the Tory interest will also make his
appearance . It is tight that , the Chartists , who are nine-tenths of the population in these districts , ought also to have their candidate upon the present occasion . To the Chartists I have , upon innumerable occasions , explained my principles , these are all contained in that well known , document called the People ' s Charter , and I have unhesitatingly declared that I will countenance no other agitation until this Charter become the law of the land , as , in my opinion , those who do bo sacrifice their birthright at the shrine of some of the factions who have all in their tarn deceived , and afterwards pillaged and oppressed , the British people .
To the electors , of these counties—Allow me to point out shortly your present position in connection with the great body of the people ; you are divided between the manufacturing and agricultural pursuits ; a wise and enlightened government is necessary aa a protection to these interests . But government in this country has never held in the legitimate path of its duty , it has continually Interfered to regulate those interests which it ought to have only protected . Abuse has now increased to such an extent under its long continued maladministration that the whole resources of the people are absorbed to satiate its demands , and even now , in the midst of profound peace , the resources of the most ingenuous and Industrious people in the world are inadequate to supply its wants . Upwards of two millions of its industrious labourers and articuu toil from morning until midnight , and have not a tithe of the
ordinary necessaries of life . Our warehouses are groaning with the fruits of the people's industry , and yet they are wandering about ill fed and clothed in rags . The peopls are n « w convinced that these permanent evils result from bad government . Tun , the electors of these counties , are called upon to send forth a representative who will either augment or remove these evils . If your election should unfortunately fall upon either a Whig or a Tory , you will then have extinguished the last vestige of hope among the people , of their condition being improved through your patriotism and wisdom . If yoa « U « t a representative who wilt pledge himself to use all his influence in the House of Commons to pass the People ' s Charter into law , you will inspire the people with renewed cenfldenoe in your integrity and wisdom , as they feel confident that this country is doomed speedily to be the scene of anarchy and revolution .
To the Chartists of these counties—You are now called upon to perform a sacred and important duty to yourselves , your families , and your country . The people are the legitimate source of political power . You have now an opportunity to prove it The Whigs and Tories are your bitter and uncompromising enemies—use that power by harrassiug them in all possible means under the constitution—use your constitutional rights
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at the day of nomination , and after recording your decision there , trust to God , and the means He will discover to you for the securing and establishing of your rights in this land . ¦ ¦ ¦¦' . •¦¦¦ ¦¦ •¦ :.- lam . ' ' Electors and non-electors . Yours ttc , Alva , 14 th Jane , 1841 . Abraham Duncan .
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TO THE ELECTORS OF THE BOROUGH OF LEEDS . & ENTLEMEN , —A Requisition has been presented to me from a large and influential Body of the Electors of Leeds , calling upon me to become a Candidate , in conjunction with Lord Jocelyn , for the Representation of the Borough in the event of a Dissolution of Parliament . The character of the Appeal with which I am honoured , whether I regard the number or respectability of the parties who make it , is such as will not permit ma to hesitate between the inclination of private feeling and the dictates of public duty ; I , therefore , Gentlemen , respectfully announce to you my intention of complying with its request . In declaring myself a Candidate for bo great an honour , and in purposing to undertake so heavy a responsibility as that of watching over the
Parliamentary Interests of this extensive Borough , I wish I could offer to yon tho benefit of Parliamentary as well as Commercial Experience in the consideration of all those great questions which ao deeply absorb the public mind . Never have we stood more in need of the ability of an energetic Government or the wisdom of an enlightened Legislature than at the present moment ; and I confess that I do not recollect the period when the depression of every branch of our Commercial Interests has been so appalling as it now is , nor can I conceive any duty so imperative npon Parliament as that of a most patient yet prompt endeavour to devise substantial means of relief . What may be the cause or the combination of oauses which ha * produced this paralysis of our commercial strength , or what may be the best means of restoring us to activity , admits of much discussion , and deserves to be discussed with moderation and
temper . To those who ascribe our present distress to the operation of the existing Corn Laws , I can admit that a reduction and modification of the present scale of duties would not be attended with injustice to any clasBof the community ; and to the advocates of Free Trade I can equally admit that our Commercial Code requires deliberate investigation , and that many obstacles which now impede the current of Trade may be removed without injury to any other existing Interest ; but in the pursuit of this objeot , I hope that England will not be compelled to abandon those exertions which she has so nobly begun in tearing off the hideous badge of Slavery from the human race .
Upon the subject of the Poor Law , the provisions relatiug to what is called out-door relief appear to me to h ? . ve been made by the Commissioners in utter ignorance of the precarious employment of a manufacturing population , of which not only individuals , but masses of individuals , are , at a few days' notice , reduced from a state of industrious competency , to helpless destitution . Relief so restricted is wholly inapplicable to the wants of the dense population of a trading district ; besides which , there are other parts of this law that evidently require amendment . * It is needless for me to dwell in this address upon my devotion to our Church , or upon the importance which I attach to the Religious Education and Moral Improvement of the Poor . It is equally needless for me to express my reverence and admiration for all those institutions comprised within the pale of our unequalled Constitution , calculated as they are to
entail blessings upon all classes of the Community ; but I am persuaded that these blessings cannot be permanently enjoyed by any class , or ia any rank of life , unless due regard Toe paid to the means of subsistence and to tho " contented labour" of the great body of the People . Whatever may be the estimation in which the policy of the present Administration has been held by its supporters , they must acknowledge that that policy cannot be successfully applied to the exigencies of the State except it be based upon the Confidence of the Nation . They must see that this Confidenae has been withdrawn ; --a general dissatisfaction with the measures of our Rulers , and an increasing suspicion of the Honesty of their motives , are fast growing upon the public mind : I concur in these apprehensions , and should hail their removal from Office as the first step to the restoration of our National Prosperity . I have the honour to be , Gentlemen , Tour faithful Friend and Servant , WM . BECKETT . Kirkstall Grange , 8 th June , 1841 .
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TO THE ELECTORS OF THE BOROUGH OF LEEDS . rj . ENTLEMEN , —The honour you have done me in IX presenting to me the flattering Requisition I have just received , proposing that I should offer myself as a Candidate for your Suffrages as ene of your Representatives in Parliament , demands my most cordial thanks . lam full y sensible , likewise , of the additional value which is Btamped on that Requisition by your having associated my name with that of your honoured Townsman , Mr . William Beckett ; and , with suoh a call and such a colleague , I cannot hesitate to accept your invitation , and to profess my willingness to fight with vou the battle
of the Constitution in this great Crisis of the public affairs . With respect to the principle on which I now come forward , I have already had some opportunity of explaining myself to you personally ; but in accepting your Requisition I am bound to state explicitly to all the Electors what those principles are . In one word , then , they are strictly Conservative ; that is to Bay , they are suoh as will lead me to consult the interests , not of one class to the exclusion or prejudice of others , but to advance the well-being of the entire Community , adhering as closely as possible to the old Landmarks of the Constitution .
I shall not bid for your support by promising to root up and destroy every Institution that may be found to require Regulation or Improvement ; bHt with due respect to the existing Laws and Usages of the Country , I would labour to preserve whatever is useful , and honestly to correct and reform whatever is amiss . As to the immediate questions whtoh now occupy the public mind , I believe you will agree with me in thinking that , however important they are in themselves , and deserving of the most serious consideration of the Legislature , they do not constitute the real point at issue at this time , which is no less than the formation of an efficient Government in place of the weak Ministry which has for the last few and disastrous years exercised the responsibility without being able to wield the powers of the State . --
That the unexampled depression of the Commercial and Financial affair * ojf the Country requires a searching investigation , fnte its cause , and great wisdom and firmness in applying the fittest remedies , no man can doubt ; but it is equally obvious that the indispensable preliminary to this is the formation of a strong and effective Government , wise in counsel , and possessing the confidence of so decided a majority of the Representativee of the people as to have the power of carrying through the measures which they may deem the exigency of the times to require .
To the support of snob , a Government , if elected as one of your Representatives , I shall consider it my duty to reuder my assistance , believing entirely that it can be formed only on Conservative principles ; and while thus seeking to accomplish what I consider necessary to the safety of the Country , I will address myself assiduously to the protection and advancement of your own varied interests , and to the consideration of those great and complicated national questions which involve on the one hand the greatest extension that can safely and profitably be made of the Manufacturing and Commercial Exertions of this Country , and on the other the protection of the large and important interests of tke Cultivators ' of the Soil ; the supply of Food to all classes free from the influence of Foreign Jealousy and the dangers of Foreign War ; the removal of all the harsh and needless severity of the New Poor Law .
rendering it applicable ( which at present it is not ) to the vioissitades of the trade , and the wants and comforts of the Manufacturing Population ; the maintenance of the great and truly glorious effort made at 60 large a cost by this Country to strike oft the bonds of Slavery throughout the world ; anqf the extension of those means of a moral and religious National Education which can alone insure the safety of the State aid the well-being of all Classes among our rapidly-increasing Population . Upon these and all other subjects I shall be happy to afford you every satisfaction-in my power whenever the proper period arrives for my again appearing ameng you , and in the meantime I shall rely on the « oatinaanee of those efforts upon your Ban to which , you have so generously pledged yourselves , and which , if continued , cannot , I believe , fail to b « crowned with the « e « red effect . I have the honour to be , Gentlemen , Your meat obedient , humble servant , JOCELYN London , Jane 7 , 1840 . 1 'he Committee for promoting the Eleotion of Mr . " B eckett and Lord Jocelyn meet ' at No . 17 , Albion-Street , every day at Eleven o'Clock in the Morning and Seven in the Evening . Any information will beamingly afforded to the Electors at any iimsiathe day .
Stofrtttggeg, Ke.
Stofrtttggeg , ke .
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2 THE NORTHERN STAR . ; "
— Iv Leeds Bogeouoh Sessions.
— iv LEEDS BOgEOUOH SESSIONS .
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), June 26, 1841, page 2, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct858/page/2/
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