Obrazy na stronie
PDF
ePub

without him: in short, if you do not worship him as a god, and flatter him more than any other human being, he becomes your bitterest enemy, and will do every thing in his power, openly or covertly, to injure you. No language can be too violent for his purpose; no punishment can equal the offence.

"THE

"BEST PUBLIC INSTRUC TOR."

THE "INSTRUCTOR" is exceedingly puzzled, just at this moment. It does not know what

way,

that it is afraid to seem to be attached to it. But, whenever there arises a gleam of hope for

Indeed, Mr. THWAITES! Then to anticipate. It has been 'so this" patriot" is really worse soused about by me; so exposed; than any thing that you have so discredited; so baffled; and, named. But, if your charge indeed, its profits have been so against the man whom you evi- much diminished, that it does not dently mean to point out, should know what to do. It naturally be wholly false: if he, never in loves the paper-system; its very his whole life, called himself a existence depends on it; and, “patriot;” if he would, at any yet, being afraid, that it will give time, almost as soon have been way, it is balancing whether to flung down a chalk-pit as to have stick to it, or not. It has seen praised you: if he never found the system in such a perilous fault with you for your silence with regard to him, nor even for your disagreement with him; if it were your lies, your unprovok- the system, see how the best and ed calumnies on himself and on basest Instructor turns about, and his friends; and if it were evi-falls to praising the system." dent to him and to all persons ac- Their REMEDIES for the disquainted with the matter, that tress are, however, the things these lies, these calumnies, that most delight me. They are, sprang from the basest of all pos- indeed, good upon the causes; as, sible motives: then he was right for instance, TORRENS ascribes in using the harshest of language the unfortunate loans to South towards you; and, if you had any America to ...... what, think other than bodily feeling, he you? To the Corn Bill! "To would be right in inflicting pun- the Corn Bill!" exclaims the ishment on you of the severest reader," what, then, is TORRENS kind.

mad?" Mad! no: at least no madder than the rest of them; for

DOCTOR BLACK of the "CHRONI- of any "class" lower than that CLE" says that Dr. TORRENS of to which he himself belongs? the "GLOBE" is quite correct in Good God! To give away cotton this opinion." "Come, come," goods, in order to make the trade says the reader, " you do not flourish! To buy the goods up "mean seriously to say, that they by subscription, and give them "really contend that it was the away in charity, to an amount "Corn Bill that caused people equal to an export trade! "to lend money to the South "Americans?" But, I do, though; and I positively assert, that TORRENS's assertion to this effect, and Dr. BLACK's subscribing to it, will be found in the Chronicle of 21st July 1826. "What! the Corn Bill make people buy Co- In what "respect," good Mr. lombian Bonds !" Yes: THWAITES? In what respect, I

un

But after all, employment is the one thing needful. Laudable as public and private charity is, we should be sorry to see our labouring population depending upon it for support. It is by an abuse of the Poor-Laws in this respect that the independent spirit of the people has been in so many instances broken down.

[ocr errors]

qualifiedly, yes. "Well, then," say, is it by an abuse of the poorexclaims the reader, "the Devil laws, that the "independent spirit take the fellows!" To which I" of the people has been broken should be tempted to say, AMEN," down?" In what "respect?" did I not recollect the lenient sen- And besides, is there, Mr. tence which, according to SWIFT, THWAITES, in the four or five is to be the lot of fools. millions of paupers, now in England, one single creature who has less of " independent spirit" than you and your brethren of the broad sheet?

Delightful, however, as their causes are, their remedies are still more delightful. Let us take a few of THWAITES's, as a speci

men.

Are there not useful public works in which multitudes of people inight Next to the supply of food to meet be employed, and in the promotion the most pressing wants of nature, of which the public money might be we do not know of any more laud-well bestowed? Might not rivers be able way in which private benevolence could be employed, than in dealing out clothing to the lower classes wherever it is wanting, which would go farther even than any export trade to diminish the immense stock of cotton goods now on hund.

made navigable, new roads constructed, mountains cut through, and various which would, in the end, benefit and other projects made available, all of enrich the community?

What, then, Mr. THWAITES,

Does THWAITES happen to know you perceive, do you, either that

the government collects more mo-, nor sense in what they say. Most ney than it wants for present pur-of them are constantly looking out poses; or that it would be advise- for the popular persuasion, or

able for it to collect more money than it now collects? You certainly wrote this after dinner, Mr. THWAITES.

opinion of the day; and, then, when they think they have discovered it, they follow it, and sell foolish, or very shallow people,

In the mean time, we would ear- their own erroneous opinions! nestly implore such of our sufferingThus the public is kept blunderartizans as these observations may

reach, to be upon their guard against ing along from error to error; and those incendiaries who, would betray thus we get deeper and deeper in them into excesses which can only

increase their own immediate misery, embarrassments and distress. and with it the means of diminishing

it.

MANCHESTER AFFAIRS.

THE Morning Chronicle, of today (Thursday) says: "We have "received the following commu"nication from our Manchester

What "incendiaries," Mr. THWAITES? Have you got the names of any of them? Sad luck for you, not to be able to get up a rebellion, nor even a riot! But, why should the "artizans" be on their guard against "incendia-" Correspondent. Our readers ries," who would lead them into" will see that the unemployed t excesses," if these excesses 66 population of Manchester and would, as you say they would," the neighbourhood cannot be “increase the means of diminish-" maintained many days longer ing their own immediate misery?" "without the aid of the Poors' What strange 22 "excesses these "Rates. The feeling seems to "incendiaries" must lead people" be, that it is impossible to go on into! Excesses which increase the "longer with subscriptions. This misery; and which, at the same "is a momentous revolution." time, increase the means of diminishing the misery!

Such, reader, is the rubbishy stuff which proceeds from Mr. BROUGHAM'S " best possible public instructor." The writers seem, half their time, as if they were drunk. There is neither reason

What! Momentous revolution"! What, then, would you have the people die, lie down and die? Indeed they will not. "Revolution" is it! Why, a great part of my business in the North, was to place well in the minds of the people, that they had a right to

the land, as far as was necessary | poor, was held yesterday at the instance of the Boroughreeve," For the purpose of taking into consideFunds." As it was notified that the ration the very reduced state of the Sub-Committee would present their Seventh Report, and great interest was naturally excited by the importance of the subject they were called together to consider, the attendance of the Members of the General Committee was numerous. The Re

to keep them from suffering from want. In every town, where I spoke to the people, I told them to be prepared for still worse trade and lower wages; but I told them, in every town, to go to the land; I told them that the law gave them the land, as far as was necessary to their sustenance. I told them

port having been read, the Borough

that it was their duty to work and maintain themselves, if they could get wages sufficient for that pur- proposition to submit to the Comreeve was asked, whether he had any pose; but, if they could not, the mittee?-He stated that he had not; law ordered it so that they were but that he had deemed it adviseable to have a maintenance out of the to convene them, in order to learn land; and if the lands of their own their opinion as to the course that parishes were not sufficient, the ought to be followed, for the purpose lands of the surrounding parishes; of replenishing their funds. Some and if they were not sufficient, ed their doubts as to the propriety of members of the Committee expressthen the lands of the whole county; making any further efforts to mainfor that the laws of England, tain the unemployed work-people by founded on natural right and on public charity. The Poors' Rate was, the laws of God, commanded that in their judgment, the proper fund to no man should starve in the midst which application should at once be of plenty. But this Scotchman made. The distress was not likely calls it a momentous revolution soon to cease, and it was hopeless, for the people to appeal to this they thought, to attempt to raise law; this best of all the laws of and the supplies from the meanother subscription in this town, the country. Let us now, how- tropolis would be quite insuffiever, have a look at this account cient to continue beyond a few from Manchester, in which we weeks, the distributions now makshall see our own and vigilant ing by the Sub-Committee. friend, the famous "Borough-the other hand, it was strongly urged, reeve," engaged in other matter that the object for which they had than that of " instituted the local fund, viz., to save interfering" on the subject of my intended speeches. pauperism those who have, by the from the permanent degradation of The following is the account. circumstances of the times, been. thrown out of employment, was Manchester, Tuesday Evening. worthy of another struggle before it This is the great market-day for was wholly abandoned, and that an the manufacturers in this neighbour-appeal should therefore be made to hood. The transactions to-day have the Metropolitan Committee, from been unusually few in number, and whom it was remarked, as a just at much reduced prices. This is the ground of complaint, that only two natural progression, until, by some thousand pounds had yet been remeans, the demand for goods can be ceived for the relief of the people of considerably increased. A Meeting Manchester, though, when the subof the General Committee of the scription was opened at the City of Local Fund, for the relief of the London Tavern, it was evident from

On

the speeches made on the occasion, and they have got the Borough.. that the sufferings of this district reeve there all the while, the fa constituted the chief motive to the mous boroughreeve, and Lavender, undertaking. A few Members of the the late London thief-taker along Committee were disposed to try the with him! What, then, thought experiment of another subscription in this town, but the general opinion they can interfere in order to pre seemed to be against the attempt. vent a man from coming into their A motion was then made, that a de- town; though they can get horse, putation should be appointed to proceed foot and artillery ready, sufficient to London, and confer with the Me- to resist a tolerable army; though tropolitan Committee on the subject, they can do this, in order to preBy this means only it was contended vent William Cobbett from com that proper attention could be ohtained to the urgent claims of the ing into their town, though he has› vast multitude who are dependent a perfect right to come there; upon public charity for their daily though they have no law to authosupport. When this motion had rize them to interfere with him ;. been some time under consideration, it was stated that the local Committee of Correspondence had, on Thursday last, addressed a letter to the London Committee, soliciting

their immediate attention to this district; and it was therefore finally agreed to adjourn the further consideration of the motion till an answer should be received to this letter. A calculation has been made respecting the industry of this town, from which it results, that of about eighty cotton mills, which, as nearly as Hay be, is the number within what, is usually considered to be Manchester, 29 are at this moment quite idle, and 11 others are employed on what is called short time; that is to say, the labour within them is so abridged, that the spinners work in some mills at the rate of five days a week; in others, not exceeding two. The total number of persons who are thus deprived of the ability of earning their subsistence cannot be less than 30,000. It would not be difficult, in this way, to account for the multitudes who are in danger of perishing for want in this neighbourhood. The stagnation of the cotton trade has taken from half the population their ordinary means of living.

Indeed! Surely! What half the population of Manchester have lost their ordinary means of living;

though they can do all this, and though they could, only the other day, send word to me that they should interfere, if they appre hended any tendency to a breach of the peace from my speaking; though they had power to do these things, they have not, it seems had power to prevent twenty-nine out of eighty cotton-mills from being stopped, eleven more pretty nearly stopped, thus taking fortyaway out of the eighty that there are in this hell-hole, Manchester. Oh, no: the boroughreeve and Lavender can keep Cobbett silent at Manchester; but they cannot, I thank God Almighty, silence the thirty thousand people, who have been deprived, as they now tell us, of the ability of earning their subsistence! Let these poor people recollect, that if the advice of William Cobbett had been followed; that if the reformers had been listened to in 1817 and 1819; that if the advice of that man. whom the boroughreeve threatened to interfere with had been followed, there would have been.. no need of these miserable sub> scriptions to save the lives of a starving people.

Thus, then, we come round to

« PoprzedniaDalej »