The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-08-23 00:00:00

O'CONNOR AND THE RECENT RIOTS.

The Northirn Star (Feargus O'Connor's paper) of Satur-
day last contains' a long statement of perverted facts (to suit
his purposes) of the proceedings in, Manchester on the 16th
of August, 1819, illustrated by a woodcut, depicting the
military cutting down men, women, and children, with their
sabres. Ile also prints a list of the names of the Manchester
Yeomanry of that day, as if for the purpose of pointing them
out as objects of vengeance for the present mobs. Amongst
the names given are several of the most respectable mill-
owners, who have resisted the turn-outs on this occasion by
continuing to employ their men despite the intimidation
which has been excercised towards them. The bloodthirsty
" Chartist Lamb," who is allowed to prowl at large whilst
his victims by hundreds continue to be consigned to dungeons,
introduces the names of the Manchester Yeomanry with the
following seditious and cold-blooded remarks :
" And this was the way the middle-class men of Man-
chester and Catholics, the Yeomanry,' served a peaceable
and unarmed people, seeking to petition for a reform in the
syste?n of representation ! These were the terms of union'
between the middle and labouring class at that period. Ti.is
was the way one class, bloated, blustering, big, and inflated
with gin and pride—brandy and arrogance,—this was the way
they attempted to prove that the interests of the two classes
are identical !' and that the middle classes are the natural
leaders and protectors of the labouring population of the
community !' 0, how arrogant, how puffed up with pride,
they were then ! How they sneered and scoffed, and turned
up the nose of affected contempt! How they gloated and
glorified over the blood they had shed—the suffering they had
caused—the life they had sacrificed! What heroes they then
were ! Where are they now? How many of them are yeo-
men now ? How many of them have been able to keep out
of the Gazette, or out of the insolvent list ? How many of
of them have been able to keep out of the workhouse? And
how many have cut their throats, or hanged themselves !
Where is the thing amongst them that would now glory in
the bloody deeds he then committed ? Where is the thing
amongst them that would not give his ears to have his name
erased from the damning record—the list of the heroes' of
Peterloo ? It is in vain, however, that he so wishes. The
characters in which the names are written are those of blood!
Thep cannot be washed ont, but by the waters of justice ; and
those have not yet been applied—or Thistlewood, Ings,
Brunt, and Tidd would not have been the last men executed
and beheaded in England for high treason !! No ; the names
are not to be obliterated from the bloody list ! Here it is !
Let the actors of the fiendish deeds of 1819 feast their eyes
upon it ! ! 1"
With respect to the Anti-Corn-Law-League's connexion
with the present outbreak, it appears as though O'Connor
had broken faith with Mr. Sturge and that party, for after
the reception of his pay from the former for the assistance
rcndered by himself and gang at the Nottingham election, he
charges Mr. Sturge and the leaguer's with whom Mr. Sturge
is associated,, with being at the bottom of the late attempted
insurrection. In a letter he published on Saturday he
says—
" Bear in mind that Acland informed me of the conspiracy
at Halifax ; that Taunton and the devils of the Corn-Law
Conference recommended rising' and `rioting;' and that
the Sun and all the organs of the revolutionists trumpeted
forth the unnatural advice with unbecoming joy. * * *
The League have put the wrong leg foremost; they have
taken a false step ; they have bribed some, and have tam-
pered with others of our leaders; but enough of virtuous
power still remains to render desertion harmless, and treason
fruitless. We have long courted the trades of Manchester;
and at length they have adopted our principles ! May
Heaven bless them ! And when our object is achieved,
which will give peace to all, then will their names stand pro-
minently forward as the saviours of their country.
" Let no blood be shed. Let no life be destroyed. Let
no property be consumed. Let us, in God's name, set an
example to the world of what moral power is capable o,
effecting.

" Ever your faithful friend,
" FEARGUS O'CONNOR."

This Acland, to whom. O'Connor refers, is the fellow
whose exhibition of the French giant and Master Nookes,
the calculating boy, obtained for him so much notoriety
some years ago; and whose connexion with a cheap bread
company of Bristol caused the awkward questions to be but
to him by Mr. Townley Parker at the last North Lancashire
election, when the Anti-Corn-law League had the assurance
to put him up as a candidate against Lord Stanley. On this
occasion it will be recollected his backers and bottle-holders,
during the nomination, were Mr. Alderman John Brooks
and Mr. R. Cobden, M.P. for Stockport.
In other parts of O'Connor's paper (the Star), published
this day, in allusion to an anti-corn-law conference, he
says _ _

-"
While this conference' was sitting, Mr. O'Connor
happened to meet with Acland, the hired tool and lacquey of
the anti-corn-law league, the man who is paid £lO per week
for his services. They met at Halifax. They had a discus-
sion upon the question of the corn-law repeal.
" After the discussion, Mr. O'Connor and Mr. Acland
had some talk. In the Star of the succeeding week, that is
to say, in the Star of July 16,1842, Mr. O'Connor published
the following fact, in a letter addressed by him to the Chartist
body :
_ _

" One thing which Acland told me, as he said, in confi-
dence, must not be kept back. No, no; lam not just the
man to keep the Secrets of the League. Now, let every man
pay particular attention to the following disclosure, coming
from the principal spouter of the ' Plague.'
" Acland said to me,—Well, Mr. O'Connor, we shall
either have a repeal of the Corn Laws or the Charter, in
three weeks. _ _

" Mr. O'Connor.—lndeed! how?
`` ' Mr. Acland.—Well, I tell you, in confidence, that the
object of the League's present meeting in London is to take
into consideration the propriety of stopping all the mills
upon a given day !!! and they will do it !! !'
" This was published near a month before the strike.
Now, Acland has'never contradicted it. He dare not do it!
" Let our readers also mark another fact. All the reduc-
tions in wages that have been attempted within the last two
months in the manufactories have been attempted by Corn-
Law Repealing masters ! Point out a Tory or Conservative
master who has attempted any such reduction. We believe
it would be impossible. At all events, we have not heard
of any such. This fact speaks volumes ! "

It is reported that the Rothschilds have offered to com-
pound for the income-tax for three years at £24,000, which
admits an annual income of about £270,000.
A DOUBTFUL ENCOMIUM.—The other evening, a lady
having exerted her vocal powers for the amusement of the
company at a soiree, received the following ambiguous com-
pliment :—" Your singing makes you appear a delicious
screecher (delicious creature.)