The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-02-22 00:00:00

The Atterneria,neral eald they had been made stronger._

- Sir. ii - .rjeant Simon differed in opinion as to that. In
Aprli last a meeting was held on a Sunday, and Sir. Odger
at that meeting publicly buret the 8111. The Figaro of the
lath of April wrote an article on that, which he would read
to them, and which was one 01 the libels complained of
"Know all men that Odger the Cobbler rules the Go.
eernme tit el England. We have ere now made spirt of the
great man. Beneefori hwe shall be respeettuL We do Dot
like the cobbler. We abhor his principles. We regard hint
1114 an enemy of order. We hold him to be a demagogue of
the lowest and meet cont-mptible to po—half booby and half
humbug ; a political Cheap Jack, who would be a polities'
sharper It he had brains enough. But Odger the Cobbler
role. the Ooveroment of England ; and, however much we
may despise the cobbler, we acknowledge the de facto ruling
power of the country thi...er opposed the Parks It.y ulation
Lill. Ile held Sunday demonstratious in Ilyde Park. Ile
defied Parliament and the Government. Ile publicly burnt
the Bid Ile declared that if the Bill became law, he would
break the law, lie threatened an unprecedeeted elm,,.
stration and civil discord. Odger is victorious. The Go-
vernmeet have mooined their BBL Four metropolitan
Parks, including Hyde Park, are to he given up to the
roughs. The burning of the Bill caused the Slnuistry to
shiver and shake. and they beat a hasty retreat. °deer
defied Parliament, and the Government haa submitted t
the dictation of the c,.i.deer. What may be Odgers nest
fancy It Is impossible to guess. Perhaps he may assert
the ridlit of the o,lgentes,to refresh themselves lu meet-eel
pantries and wine-cellars ; or he may &MAIO the immediate
release of all convicts who are it nearly connected with that
section of 'the people' which Odger the Cebbier commands.
Whatever Odger demands he will obtain, it he Is setlieiently
audacious and violent. Some day society will have to make
short work of the °duchies, and stamp them out an we slid
the cattle plague At present (tiger Ie supreme and trinniph.
ant ; and Gdgerism may work incaluable nd,chief before an
opportunity occnrs of putting an end to It with grape tel
ballet. Bow tsr idger to be rewarded for his late victory ?
The hero of the Hyde Park railings bottle is • County Court
Judge, tiger has deserved as well of the Government as
Beaks Odger Is not pridessioually qualified for the judicial
bench; and If Mr Gladstone overcome the difficulty by a
Bwelme hocuspocus, or by a Royal Warrant, it would
not do to have a Juarre whoa. soul hes not soared above the
three It's, and who has not so much leasuing as • Jack Cade
or • Jack Pudding If no office can be found for Odger, Sir,
Gladstone might advlae Her Majesty to grant the victorious
cobbler a Civil List pension. Codger ought not to expect as
ranch as Beale,. He did not throw down the Park railings.
Ile only threatened civil discord."

The learned counsel cobtended Lind this article imputed to
the phintilf dishonesty of Intention and dishonesty of chs•
meter ; that in speaking of him ss a "cobbler," he tains
shocomstr, Ibm. object was to bring him into crotenint. The
sacond lin,' complained of was contained io lice k'igisto of
May 4. 11 began :

"tallim.—l have any quantity of bottled-up abase., treason,
an,l riots o exchange the whole lot for any permanent
appointment worth L 21,0 per annum or upward.:
• Poluigue
Thla paragraph imputed to him (for DO one could . doubt that
it meont the I.lanktdf) that he woe ready to sell the cause he
ads 'eat, dir pecuniary gain It wan an a. bark on the Go-
vernment in the milieu of Mr. Cidger. If this paragraph
exceeded the limits of fair comment, on a private person it
was no answer to any that it was an attack on the Cil,verl,
went. U, had written demanding a retractation and apology.
This the newspaper hail declined, and an action had been
brought against it. This the Figaro had treated as an
er amusing hoax" that a libel suit should be instituted by
Mr (Muer, awl had set itt In full a copy of the Queen's writ
iii the iaction. The art Ale went on to say," in' the preli-
minary expenses have bden met by out honourahle aincreary
still remains a Indere, hut it is quite clear that somebody's
blanket must have sellers," If Mr. Atteaborougii's counter
were nuts species of confessional, whose starts may Dever
be beirided, perhaps that benevolent geutleumn might
throw light upon the tenebroug tuldra. We hope b)diud.
10 to induce Mr. Merriman, vito has taken ihUer aid hia
case under his paternal protection, to let us know all about
the blanket."

They made a Joke of the action, and asked If he bad pawned
ht. blanket to pay the preliminary expense. (LituAter
This ass teit a fair arid leen imate Comment, anal ridiculed
Mr. Odger for bta poverty. In the.Figare of the tat of June,
Wan article headed "C.o!enso and Darwin on (Kiser,' the
paper had the following paragraph The Bishop of Natal
wants to know if we have 'nulled Odger. k A laugh.) lie
writes, if you or any other perenna have libelled Odger, then
there can be no siffi why In believing In the report of any
m.racles, and I shall withdraw my criticisms on the Penta-
teuch ( Lauttlattr ) We county reply that it iger ruthswe
have him, and that a Jury will decide whether the
charade true or false. Mr Darwin, on being told that Odger
had Commenced an action againat us for Mei, declared that
his views id the genesis of man were entirely changed Ti,
Odger libel suit shows him that note ia not descended from
the monkey, bet froro a bird tint is stoiferi with sage and
• onions and eaten at Michaelmas." (I, 01.1 lanahter ) This
article slurred the eonteenptinins way to widen lee MN treated.
These attacks had continued till the 14th of Jane, when, In
cons, gm ace of a letter iron Mr. Odger can:misfiling of their
perso Maim, they had stated that thy withdraw all Impu-
Wiens from his personal char ,cter, and now at the last mo-
m. t, if his learned friend would disavow any personal kn.
putattnra and make an apology, his client would acwpt
nominal damn es. If not, it could be for the jury to say
neither they would not send him cut of court with such sub-
s'antial damages as vemal show the public that a working
mini even from a special Jury would receive such claimers
as well as the greatest person In the realm, and such as would
make the Figaro people know that they would have to pay
for their jokes and inputations at a cost which, perhaps,
their increased circulation would make it difficult for them
to meet. T.e pohilcatiose of the newspapers c.mtainlng the
libels was admitted, and the folloalug conkr of the news-
paper, all contain's.c allusions to the plaintiff, were mat in
evidence .—The Figaro it the 13th of April, 1.072 nod of the
2nd of May, the lease of Slay, the 231 h •4 May, the Mt, dth,
Ibth .4 June, 1341 of Jelly, 2:dit of July, A ugutt3, 10, and
24, October 21, November 23, and NovemMr 30.

George Odgee was put ht tbe Lox. tio quest :on was
risked him.
Cross-examiced by the Attorney-General : if he I fain-, a
strongith part n the Poke Bill, and harl burnt it lie was
a shoemaker near. ant made boats and shoes at-home—lt,
Highotteet, Bloomsbury. He took orders auti male boots
ter private pertoes. He partly lived by maidos Ones iOl,l
partly by MALIN speeches or eztensions ot the suffrage, dist
establishment of the mall Church, end sometimes on the

diseetsblishment of the Englieh Church, and on class govern;
scent. lie objected to a merely aristocratic and middlieclasa
government, the House of Lord., and a Monarchy. Ile
should prefer a Republic, and said an soy t roes. He had
nothing to do with recent .trikes Ills tea had • conten-
tion In 1806, and he had succeeded In settling fifty di.pute.
without strikes. Ile we, a member of a Republican club,
end had gone to the opening of one at Reading at the com-
mencement f last year, or about December, 1871. Ile nude
a speech. He was invited, and it wa. a voluntary one. Had
said he preferred a Republic with merit to the front to here-
ditary tomfoolery, or something to that effect ; that it would
he hotter to set up a vigorous Itkpuhlu than to patch up a
declining Monarchy. Ile did not like some of the meinbers of
tile House of Common.. He had said the ouly remedy for
the poverty of the working classes was to have the land
bought at a veluation by the nation and parcelled out to
tie people. Was at Leicetter at a meeting in favour of Re-
publican principle.. At Reading the working men sang
"God save the queen." They could not get through it (A
laugh) They were turned out. There were abtat half.a.
dozen turned out.
The Attorney-General: This le not a true account, then,
that you took refute, and Were hunted out of your lair, and
were hooted at by 200 or 300 meo, who thou went about sing-
ing the National Apthem?—lt Wee true of that pert of it.
They did attack Mid at the station. Ile could at any they
were working men ; they were me., unless they were womeir
its men's clothes. They were not West end moo—they were
Worst-end men. At Leicester only a few questions were
asked as to a Monarchy, and Monarchy came very beefy off
He hail said, " Sic and my colleagues have resolved the Prince
of Wales should never ascend the throne of these realms with-
out a protest ity.us sublet it.' lie did not like a Monarchy.
and had spoken arid written so in pamphlet.. Ile old not
know that they had had a large sale. He had not had time
to inquire.
Do you mean to tell what my friend calls "even a special
jury "that you have not had time to inquire 7—Yes. I have
abundance of work to do. I have been anxious ta know,
but have iron so buay over 1e.0,e and shoes and ripeaking
that I have not had time to inquire how my pamphlete sold.
The title of one was Republicanivm p Monarchy. with an to
give it a lege' form. Ido think that the establishment of
the herditary system has led to a series of unnatural mar.
riages, and the consequences at one time promised to be a
race of Royal idiots It itneeeevent on to say be desired to
prove that Enelend was tared for the maintenance of a mere
puppet. Ile wu not speaking of the Lady of the system (the
Qdeen. He thought a Monarchy was little better than a
farce, and that He value apeured to be increased by Its
Impotence He had orily written two pamphlets. The other
pamphlet was on The'Crimes of EngZieh Monarch,. He had
had Ito time to inquire how toot pamphlet had succeeded.
He first joined a 'trade Union forty years ago. Ho had bad
invitation% eat by trade Audit* to make speeches fifteen
year. ago Ile was never paid for them. For a considerable
ntimber of those fears he had decllued even his ex;,eneell.
But for six or seven years he never went anywhere without
being invited, and generally they paid his expenses; if not,
he came away without. Fr the last du year, he had mad•
more by speechtusklug than by trade and by writing. Ile
had made speeches in all the great tonne of England, and
had 100 engagements on hand now. They were not Tetalutall.
(A laugh ) Had given public notice of the meeting in the
Park. The bill was then before Parliament Ile believed
they had a right to meet to the Park. They undorstood they
had a right to meet there by the usage and custom of going
these. flop thom ht they had aright, bye lose they thought
they had a right. Had been going there fee t try years.
He believed it belonged to the public. They should not
destroy the plants.
Why not 7—We thought we had a right to walk there, but
001 10 destroy. We met one Sunday near that unfortunate
board of Mr Aryton's. (A laugh) IC was about four o'clo k;
.1,001 1, eOO or o.coa people were there. They licked • respect.
able sort if men—different from the Reading men, who seemed
to me gut up for the occasion, turned Into ruffians. (A laugh.)
Witness did not hear a song sung about himself that when he
got into Parliament :
•' He would abolish every tax.
"Go (told fellow, like a nobby King of wax."
(Laughter) He made as strong a speech as he could, and
strongly denounced the-Government for their Park Bills. Ile
said he was determined to form • party of his own, and there
was no place large enough hut the Park for them. Be said
no hall was large enough, ind they had to pay e. 20 for oue.
Did not recollect making more than one speech. One of the
reaohetions was that the Parks Bill was 50505, outrage on
the Condit ution, and that the chairman si out burn th•
It was put onus stick and burnt and held UI by him. Would
Swear he uted the words that if the bill pasted in that form
they worild meet and assert their dabs. Did not may If no h
a law was passed he would feel It hi. duty to break it. He
sdd they were to meet end assert their protest against it. If
the Government persisted in the bill they would create civil
discord.

Because you would not obey itt—lfe did not say so lie
Aid not mean physical discord. Had gone to a meeting in
tho Park after the bill passed. He had not done so after
the J edges had decided satinet them Ihey went to the
Park because they royal lered the Government were taking
a constitutional right from them They took no lawyer's
opinion upon It ile took his own friend's opinion about
le uederstood "George Podger " to be himself. Ile
knew it came in a column of jokes. Ile did not know it was
a joke.

The Akorney-General: In the same column I find.—
.11cr:Vall'eLii—isldits'.iecoacycor iliket;o*t.e.o'f Works,e,t
to exchange.—G. Writllty '' (Loud laughter.) D.) you con-
slier that a joke 7—Witness did Lot know.

Did you conabler it really serious? " I have any quantity
of b .ttlefi up &blue, treason, and riot. I will exchange the
• • • •

__-
whole lot fur soy permanent appointment worth £250 a
3 ear and m words —George Pnlier."—l consider it often.
sine. I don't see the joke (Laughter.) 1 think the column
la serious when it affects me.

Well, well, you have not any quantity of bottled-up abuse.
li, you consider this a j ?—" Seat hove ro money, no
sews, no honour, and ne principle, and I require a seat In
Parliament —A Real Reformer. 7 What do you think of
that [hat might imply to you. (Roan of laughter.) He
did not my If the bill he aloe law it would produce civil
war In the metropolis. He had heard a testimonial was get,-
tine up or Lim. Ile knew uothieg about it. He did not
object to • Joke shout • monument being got up for him in
the same paper. He knew nothing about the blanket. He
lid mind about it. It suggested that he bad pawned Ids
arhiture,—that his credit was bed. It blend his creitit
lie thought the joke about the Monica mason impute ion on
elm. Ile had seen the Figaro of the 18111 of May withdraw-
ing all 'mete miler's on his private character, and stating that
If he had been in America and had agitated for a Monarchy
they would have said jeet the same of his podtical agitation
as being a pest.
This was the plaintiff's crane.
Mr. eerjeant Simon summed up.
The A Harney-Geller& ri.e armed t he Jury fcr the defendant.
He could riot tell why hia learned friend shoull have see-
p ised that "Cyril a special jury wooer do his ellen. justice
They were summoned by the plaintiff. itt. learned friend
had fergotten the part he tied to play. Tao greati r part of
his address hat hem i in defence of Mr. Wee suit the work-
ing men. He had made no attack on Mr. ()eget or the work
ins men. Tney had attacked the Figaro macpaper I t wee
for him to say how far theseempaper hail exceeded the limits
IF four leurnelnam In commenting ..n the character of public
men. ills learned friend had attempted Simake a great
deal oat of a very little. What were the rules of common
sense by which newspaper article. of Has kind werejtutted?
They could not enlarge the freedom of the Press too mueh
iu discussing public questions ; they could not restrict it
too mach in its comments on private chars ter. They must
n it go behlr d the scenes and make attacks on the private
ammeter of public era. They had heard the libel read.
It was net couched in terms agreealee to Sir. Oilier. 'they
were strong, reugh eramments on his public character, but
not on his private character. lie hail put helm° them Mr.
odger's Nerd ins, read to him from his two pampteets. 1113,1
if he had Ilene hie wrong his learned friend might have
read them in extras° sae I.ut his client right. But he had
not thought tit so to do Whet the dafeudant had published
• l'eu, Mr. fidget', are a pestilent agitator, eoms sheet
the country setting etau against cies. Vett are riot, like
Cobden and bright, endsavourlug by argument to bring over
the public to your views on a definite question you go sheet
ereleavonrieg to upset the present state of thing,. That
within the law you may do But we who reverence the pre-
sent state of things, although we may thine they may be
amended, detest your course. You are agiteting for money,
ni endsavortring to make the whole peoplediesatialicd with
the present state of things, and we think we here a right to
comment in the strongest language on those who conduct
themselves as you have done." That was c .mmoir sense and
I.e. Ilia learned friend said he had not proved any yustiti•
cation. What in the world did he want more after Mr. (tiger
had been in the box? Ile Meted tnat for the last seven years
he had partly lived by speekteg arid going about to net men
by the care t• gether. He worked tor private orders, and he
had no mud, liberty that he could go about all tarts or the
country, arid wrote pamphlets, whk.k he gave away, sad had
1.0 curimity t•i e how they were suceeedeig. He admitted
having been to Reading and Leicester, sue almost all the
great towns of England, for the part ore of erecting a Re-
publican form of Governmeut, and wherever he went he
denouneed the 'Monarchy, and called the Q teen "a puppet."
II a beamed friene said le meant by the Queen a limited
Monet.-by, arid that the Monarchy was hut what it
was iu the days of Ilenry VIII and kilt ibette What he said
was, "that he was Tate of opinion Unit England was timer
fee a new puppet that the Menarehy nasa mere farce, and
that its value was measiired by its linputeuce." Ile had
said further, " thatthe marriages that had taken place hail
teen very neerproducing a race of Royal loots," At Lei-
cester he had .1.1 that "he and his colleagues lel resolved
that the Prince of Wales should never ascend the Throne
without a protest and a detuoustratlon." they know what
that meant. He went about the eantry c electing tueetin.,l
followed by vents such as he had admitte I to at Readoug,
and to those uneducated men he had made these excites/
speeches, to the effece as he had admltiel, that Instead of
seeking ins the future to patch up a cecliiiibit Monarchy,
It was Jar bettor to agitate tor a Republican Government
than to patch up hereditary tomfoolery. If he thought
Republicauism better than Monarchy, let him ray so ia
quiet. reit lied language : but don't let him go to the people
In the Parks and use these strong coarse expression., said
say those things of the Queen, who herself respected the
law (Applause in the court.) Bach conduct cettel Levanto
practical re.siet, except to set one el.. Agait.t tee other.
She learned counsel then re eiewed what had been dope with
record to the Park rules, Red said that a meeting of 5,000 or
Otis person/ ha • he-n held there tedely the Inc- end the
plaintiff had burnt tee hill which was before Parliament to
re • ulate the Parks for the convenleuce of all classes.' The
Fijaro had vigorously expressed Its opinion on thireconduct.
As ti the libel signed '' Geo Pedgeze was 110 seriously to ad-
dress them on that ? It woe in a colnnin with oth t r pikes,
some of which hVi here read. Mr. Odger scarcely complained
of this. It was soot that thin was an attack on the o,,vern-
moot through Mr. Meer. Ile wee not there as the organ of
the Gevernment le defend It. He was there for the news-
paper proprietors, and he said that In th. ir Comments they
had not exceeded their last bruits Mr. ledger did not conic
into court with cleen hands, and if Clem., had sill what
wao represented. or Darwin, which they never Mel, it would
not be very tar from the truth If a mail molt use these
tope's, express these poldee, live so -11. elite, he could riot
cemplalu lithe jury said he hail bettor have kept cut of
court.

The learned Judie, in summing up, said the plaintiff
complained that the defendants had published of him
libellous statements The defendant had pleaded—firsty
that the publications were not libels ; secondly, that even
if the publications contained I,befloas matters, they were
true ; end thirdly. that even If the publicstions were
they were bond fide and fair comments on matters of politic
Internet, so] nrt malt:lons. The nrst que.ti in for the jury
to deterinine WAS whether the publications amounted to a
libel, if there were no exceptional circumstance.. Tory
were libel. if untrue, and If they would tient to bring the
plaintiff into hatred, ridicule, or contempt in the minds
of reemmable person. These questions, were, however,
entirely for the jury. His Lordship here read and com-
mented on the various parts of the idiots. Too second libel
must be suhject to tho SAWA rules, taking into account the
nature of the paper and the place where it masts the paper,
and they must ask themselves whether it meant an Imputa-
tlon,or was a mere joke Ms LitiAship then carefully and
very lucidly went through the evidence, and 1-ft it to the
jury to say whether the truth of the libels hal been estab-
lished hy tho plattritt's admissions on cross-examhation ;
and. thholly, considering whet had been the plaintiff's con.
duct and spee hen to Ignorant nun, whether the comment.
were fair and justifiable co tuatti_rs of piddle Interest.

The prry retired, sad after an absenoe of two hours four.d
arrerdlet, at half-put all, for the defendant..