man. The main object of this the London Courier newspaper,

Letter is, first, to put upon record, which then was, as it now is, the or, rather, to revive the record of regular supporter of corruption their deeds, in 1817, when they and all her works. You will perbegan their base calumnies on the ceive that the paragraph which reformers. Having fairly revived precedes the Declaration is taken this, their infamous conduct to- from the Courier. This is worth wards us; I shall next advert to observing; for, it is necessary for what their own infamous news- us to bear in mind how detestably papers now say of THEIR OWN malignant these wretches were, at SITUATION; and, when I have the time I am speaking of. The done that, I shall point out to vile miscreants knew well that we them, what they now ought to do. had reason on our side, as well as I have observed above, that, in strict justice. They knew, as well 1817, there were a million and a as I, that a Parliamentary Rehalf of us, who had signed peti- form was absolutely necessary to tions, for a reform of the Parlia- the people at large; but these ment; and that, in our petitions, miscreants hoped to profit, by the we stated, that it was the want of misery of the nation at large; they reform that occasioned the distress thought they could be tyrants for that then existed; that such dis- life, and have slaves, whose sweat tress must continue to arise, until and blood were continually to there should be a reform; and contribute to their wealth. Oh that, in the end, universal ruin and God! Thou art just! Thou hast misery would prevail, unless this now pulled the tyrants down! reform were adopted. Corrup-And now, Cotton Tyrants, read tion, as I said before, took the your own Declaration of 1817, alarm, and her partisans were no and complain, if you can; comwhere more active than at the hell-plain, if you can find the conhole, Manchester. The theatre, science to complain, of any puthe bloody theatre of the sixteenth nishment, any ruin, that may fall of August! At this place, sur-upon you. Read, towards the close passing all others in execrable of the first paragraph of your cruelty, and still more execrable base "Declaration"; read there, hypocrisy and lying, a "DE- that you deemed it guilt in us; CLARATION," as the ruffians read there, you base caitiffs, that called it, was hatched up, as a you accused us of crime, and sort of prelude to the green bags, marked us out for vengeance; of CASTLEREAGH, and the Power-marked us out for military slashof-Imprisonment Bill, of SID-ing, because we ascribed the disMOUTH. Whether this "Declara- tresses of the country to the Gotion," were the work of the fellows vernment! What do YOU do themselves, or were sent to them now then? And how shall you cut and dry, I cannot say, nor be treated, if we find you ascribdoes it signify a straw. They is-ing the present distress to the Gosued the "Declaration": it is vernment? enough for us to know that; and I shall insert their Declaration here. I took it, at the time, from

Now, my friends, "WeaverBoys," let us have the Declaration of the order of the Pig-Tail,

issued against us Reformers, in the [sons, deriving emolument from the month of January, 1817. Pray public, and consequently of His Maread it with attention; pray pay jesty's Ministers. attention to every part of it; but especially to that part, in whick they called us criminals, because we ascribed the distresses of the country, to the Government.

2. The numerous meetings held for these purposes, both publicly and mittees, delegates, and missionaries, secretly, the organized system of comthe contributions levied, particularly for disseminating pamphlets, calculated to mislead and irritate the pubA meeting took place, on Monday unconstitutional reflections upon the lic mind, the indecorous and highly last, (13th January, 1817) at Man- exalted Personage now exercising the chester, attended by the most respect- regal authority, the marked dispaable inhabitants of that town, Salford, ragement of the most extensive chaand their neighbourhood-the Bo- ritable relief in seasons of unavoidroughreeve in the chair. Several Re-able pressure, the language of intisolutions were passed with entire midation, not merely hinted, but unanimity, and the following De- plainly expressed, the appointment claration agreed to, which CANNOT of popular assemblies in various BE TOO HIGHLY APPLAUDED, parts of the kingdom on one and and which we trust will be adopted by all other towns:-COURIER, 18th January, 1817.

DECLARATION.

the same day, after the meeting of Parliament, and the previous assembling of deputies in London; all these circumstances afford strong manifestation of meditated disorder and 1. We, the undersigned Magis- tumult, and bear no analogy whattrates for the Division of Manches-ever to the fair and legitimate exerter, the Boroughreeves and Constables cise of that constitutional liberty, of Manchester and Salford, and other which is emphatically the birth-right inhabitants of these towns and their and security of Englishmen. neighbourhood, being at all times 3. With these decided sentiments fully sensible of the many blessings it is our duty to unite in supporting of the Constitution, under which we the laws and constitution against live, feel ourselves called upon at this those wicked efforts, which we are moment to express our firm attach-convinced must be regarded with ment to its laws, as well as our utter equal abhorrence by the great madetestation of those mischievous at- jority of His Majesty's subjects in tempts which are now pursued with every class and condition of society. incessant diligence and ardour, to We, therefore, severally PLEDGE excite a general spirit of disaffection. ourselves to contribute, by the most We especially deprecate the circula- effectual means our situations may tion of seditious tracts and the adoption allow, to the maintenance of the peace of inflammatory speeches, to produce and tranquillity of these towns and AN IMPRESSION AMONGST their neighbourhood, from the unlawTHE LABOURING CLASSES, ful and NEFARIOUS designs of THAT THE PRESENT DIS- those who are SEEKING TO INTRESSES AND PRIVATIONS VOLVE US IN RIOT AND CONARE ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE FUSION; and we earnestly solicit CORRUPTION AND MISCON- the co-operation of all friends of DUCT OF GOVERNMENT, and SOCIAL ORDER and good govern may be removed by a system of re- ment, presentation, embracing almost universal suffrage, annual Parliaments, the unqualified exclusion of all

per

There then, my friends,, is the Declaration of these fellows!

Quaker, or other unbaptized and

66

There is their attempt to cause us, the reformers, to be driven out of half-godless "poor deluded" creathe country, or to be put in chains tures; nay, let even the beastly or in dungeons. Soon after they atheist CARLILE, whose writings issued out this declaration, the the WHIGS now circulate against Power-of-Imprisonment Bill was me; let them read the following passed, and SIDMOUTH crammed paragraphs from the Cotton Lords the dungeons. How many victims, Gazette," published at ManGood God! suffered under those | chester, on the 15th of this month; terrible laws, of which this base let them read these paragraphs; and lying "Declaration" was the and deny, if they can, that there chief fore-runner! The Decla- is a God, and a God of justice, ration of the scoundrel Merchants too! Let them, like the Devils, and Bankers of London was not read and tremble: and, as you issued until nineteen days after read, my friends, as you reformers the Declaration from the hell-hole, read, pray bear in mind all the Manchester. The former was in way, the conduct of these Cotton imitation of the latter: both equally Lords, in 1817. And, above all false, and equally deserving of things, bear in mind, that these God's judgments. The fellows who tools of corruption, these cruel drew up and signed these Decla- tyrants, wished to have us put in rations, knew that they were up- dungeons; harassed, chained, holding oppression and corrup- dragged from gaol to gaol; put tion; they knew that they were out of existence this way, or saupholding that which was the bred or trampled to death, because cause of infinite suffering to the we wanted a REFORM OF THE poor; they knew that; but, they PARLIAMENT; because we ashoped to fatten themselves, while cribed the distresses of the country the poor starved. They knew, as to the misconduct of the Governwell as anybody, that the re- ment; recollect this; bear this formers were sincere; they knew constantly in mind, while you are that they did not want to overturn reading the following descriptions the Government; nobody knew of the present suffering of these this better than they; and yet, same men. The judgment of God they could coolly and deliberately has fallen upon them; the.cup of take part in putting forth lies and poison, which they had prepared false alarms, for the deliberate for us, is now returning to their purpose of paving the way for own lips; the mischiet which they measures that would take away had invented for us, is now falling our lives, or shut us up in dun- on their own pates; into the pit geons. When I think of these which they dug for us, they are things, I can hardly refrain from now themselves falling. The folwishing to see the whole group lie lowing is the description of their before me, with horse-flesh or situation, which description is draff, half chewed in their mouths. [ taken from the MANCHESTER GAHowever, vengeance does not ZETTE, their old sanguinary supbelong to man. Vengeance be- porter; their loyal and bloodylongs to God; and, let any of minded newspaper; this descripthe mongrel deistical, Unitarian, tion of their present state, is taken

from that their own newspaper, of receive it is rewarded by that State the 15th of this month of July, in three paragraphs, as follows:

1. The alteration in the value of money (says the Manchester Gazette of Saturday), occasions a fall of prices; and the weaver who earned nine shillings a week is glad to earn six. With the nine shillings he could have obtained food equal in . value to a quarter of wheat; but he finds, that as home-grown corn is scarce, and foreign is excluded from our markets, the alteration of the value of the currency, which has lowered this wages, has not lowered its price, so that he obtains for his week's wages not to the value of a quarter of wheat, but only to the value of two-thirds of a quarter. The manufacturer could sell the piece of shirting which the weaver has produced, to a foreign merchant, but unfortunately, the latter has nothing to give in exchange for it but corn, which the laws will not allow the former to receive. The piece of shirting remains on hand; the manufacturer is disappointed of his profits, and his money is locked up in unsaleable goods; and the weaver is dismissed, to starve, or to exist in a state not much removed from starvation, on a scanty allowance from the almost exhausted parish funds. In the mean time, the wheat which would have been exchanged for the surplus stock of the manufacturer, and would have enabled him to keep the weaver in employment, and which, thrown into competition with that which is raised in this country, would have enabled both the manufacturer and the weaver to have procured food at prices proportionate to their means; -that wheat is not allowed to be wasted. If we refuse to receive it, it is employed in rewarding the labour of a weaver in the land where it is grown. Manufactures are thereby encouraged; the State soon thinks it worth while to protect them by imposing heavy duties on our goods, and ultimately our refusal to

becoming altogether independent of supplies of goods from this country. 2. Can then our manufacturers and those whom they employ, look" on in sullen apathy while those exe crable laws are at once raising the price of food, and limiting the num ber of their customers, and encou raging the growth of rival manufactures in other lands? Will they contentedly allow the resumption of cash payments to bear exclusively on them, while the landed interest touch not the heavy burthens with the tip of their little finger? It is ridicu lous to expect that they will tamely submit to ruin and starvation while the remedy is obvious. It is ridiculous to suppose, that while means exist of giving a stimulus to their trade, and checking the growth of infant manufactures in other lands, and obtaining food at reasonable prices, they will submit to ruin and starvation. Hunger, even when not unjustly caused, will break through stone walls; then how much more. energetic will it be, when it is occasioned by laws which are at variance, with every principle of policy and justice, and every feeling of humanity? At the risk of being accused of exciting the commotions which God knows our greatest desire is to repress; at the risk of this accusation:'

for duty must be performedWE DECLARE IT TO BE OUR CONFIRMED AND SETTLED, CONVICTION, THAT UNLESS THE CORN LAWS ARE REPEALED, AND THAT AT NO. DISTANT PERIOD, THE POOR WILL TAKE THE FOOD WHICH THEY CANNOT BY OTHER MEANS OBTAIN. IT IS USE LESS TO BLINK THE QUESTION. THE PEOPLE OF ENGLAND WILL NOT STARVE.

Are there not, we ask, to be seen, the not obscure tokens of that terrible convulsion at which the lofty-. minded and firm-nerved Lord Grey, could not glance, without something like expressions of horror? Go where 小

you will, enter into what promis- measures of Government.", Í

say

cuous company you may, you are they are, too; and so I told them every where met with the all-em- in my first speech at Preston; ploying inquiries, what is to be done? but the haughty vagabonds at -how long are things to go on at Preston united against me; rethis rate? And it is high time that turned like a dog to his vomit; these questions should be taken up by our townsmen, not as individuals punished their poor weavers and merely, but as a body. Is a town spinners, because they voted for like this to go to ruin in silence? Are me; were guilty of misdemeanor the enterprising manufacturers and in the legal sense, and of tyranny merchants, who have so often been in the moral sense, in order to dethe theme of ministerial and parlia- prive the country of the use of mentary eulogium, to see themselves those talents and of that knowsinking, day after day, the victims, ledge, the application of which,

Have

as or even in the next Session of Paradmit, of the measures of Government; and are they to go from their palace- liament, might have saved themlike mansions almost to the work-selves. house, in unrepining, unremonstrating Oh! the whining, crying, bafsubmission? Above all, are they to fled tyrants! What! Have they see themselves surrounded with an not enough to save them! immense population, from whom no- they not the "BOROUGHREEVE AND thing but CHEAP BREAD and CONSTABLES"; the famous "BoLOW TAXES can avert all the thousand horrors and crimes which ROUGHREEVE AND CONSTABLES," wait upon starvation, and not make those "watchful keepers of the an effort to turn the current which is peace," as they call it? What! hurrying this mighty mass to that" Go from their palace-like mandestruction which will involve the great and small, the rich and poor, together?

sions to the workhouse," while they have LAVENDER and GRIMSHAW to protect them! God save us! Cannot the venerable GRIMThere, my boys! That is their SHAW and illustrious LAVENDER dismal story; and pray mind, save the Cotton Lords and Ladies how bold, how spirited, their mi- from the workhouse? Where, series have made them. What! then, let me ask, and indignantly are they, then, going from their I ask the question, where is HUL"Palace-like Mansions" to the TON of Hulton, Parson HAY, BolWorkhouse? Indeed! Why ton FLETCHER, and the Comthey told us that they enjoyed mander and commanded of the "many blessings" under the state Manchester Yeomanry Cavalry, of things that we wanted to change: of the 16th of August, 1819? many blessings they said they en- What! Cannot all these put tojoyed under it; and they wanted gether, and joined by Parson us to be dungeoned and chained, WHITTAKER, of Blackburn, keep and hanged and chopped to pieces, these delicate persons from the because we ascribed the distresses workhouse! Well, then, if it be of the people to the Government! cone to this, their state is melanTheir Gazette now tells us, that choly, indeed. But, I return to they, whether Whig or Tory, call the charge: I cannot give it up themselves the "victims of the for the soul of me. What, again