The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1897-08-19

mop destroyed the machines, as they
petleyed, In self-defense. The Pctor-
100 riot and massacre in Manchester
occurred about the Same time, when
} Inc starving people assembled in pub
nc meeting to petition the Government
cal rel1ef, oand were set upon by SOL
dlers who rode them down and sabrcd
them, killing and wounding without
mercy.
Religious matters were in similar
condition. A State Church dominated
everything; her leading ministers
were lords temporal as well as spiritu-
al, aud the great bluk Of her clergy
were mere place holders, whose right
| TO minister was conferred by some
political patron, for political or family
reasons. and whose service was formal
| and perfunctory, utterly devoid Of any
| spiritual valuo or Importance. The
parson of the parish was the boon COM
panion of the squire, and together they
managed to keep the parishiOners in
due humility, and subj cction.
In this connection can claim for my
worthy father an honorable record of
which L am moro proud than If he had
worn q coronot and had bequoathcd it
to me, as his son and heir. a large
number Of people were called dissen-
ters because they refused to accept the
formulas of the State Church and
worshipped God according to their
own conscience and separate from the
services of tho Church by law cstab-
lishod. My father belonged to this
number, and had joined u Church OF
congregational or Independent order
in Bradford.
One OF the burdens disscnters had to
carry was what was called the church
" ifh
Parlsnloncrs generally without refer
ence to whether they approved or at
tended the parish church or not. My
1athcr held Il position in the town
wnlch gave him the confidence of his
follow townsmen, who had hitherto
paid rate and grumbled, but had done
nothlng TO resist it. He organized
an opposition to 1t, and brought the
question to an issue by the refusal of
tho parishoncrs in vcstry assembled
TO consent to tho laying of rate. Un.
uer mandamus from tho ecclesiastical
court the church wardcns attempted to
lay anu collect rate, which was re-
slstcd' and this led to a long litigation,
going from court to court for MANY
years, TIL at last it reached tho House
oi Lords, the last appeal in the British
whore tho decision was made
that parishioners had tho right to re-
fusc to lay church rate This settled
tho matter and put an end toa gross
injustice to tho people, forever.
Ihis was Only one OF tho UNEQUAL
nurdcns which tho people of Great
britain wore called to boar at that
time. Taxation crushed every irt~r-
est and condition Of life and con fort.
Even Gods light had to pay its Qrot4
to the chancellor Of tho cx,hruuer.
The cNCcss Of windows in u horse above |
Il 4 I1ihr h,irn nl,, S,,nt nt,,i.,
habltants to avoid tumbling over each |
other had to be taxed. Every news
paper was required to have u govern
ncnt stamp upon it, and everything in |
It which government official could or
wanted TO find as an advertisement |
lad to contribute to the national funds.
These arc but specimens OF the way in
which tho aristocratic government
'ulturc gnawcd tho vitals of the Deo-
pie, as at that time the science Of taxa
lion was hardly beyond what we as a
people in America arc barely as vet
from.
T!ic most cruel AMI inhuman, now
ever, wore what were called the corn |
laws: which taXnd tho food OF the pco-
pic, ns 1t WAS claimed, for tho protcc- |
tion Of the British farmer, but really |
tho British landlords, tho uristocracy. |
Ono man in Lancanshiro had taken |
this to heart, and determined to devote
his life to reformation. This was
Nj Manchester. John Bright, a young
Quaker living at Rockdale, who had |
just lost his wife aud was inconsolablc |
on that account, was appealed to by
MIR. Golden to join him in the work he
had taken up. MIR. Golden pictured to
him the misery in which so many were
found, compared with which his own |
sorrow was light. Mr. Bright yielded |
to the urgency Of his friend, and the |
names of Cobden and Bright we're ever
afterwards associated in this great |
work.
| well remember. as how, BEING |
taken by my father, who thus early I
sOuRht to interest me in the welfare OF |
others. to hear these gentlemen in a
public hall in Bradford, where they |
delivered almost their first public ad- |
dresses on this question. often had |
that opportunity afterwards in the pro-
grcss OF the campaign, which went on |
for years till at last success crowned |
the agitation, and the food Of q people |
was freed from taxation.
lscsiding in Manchester for many
years, which was the headquarters OF |
the AntiCorn Law League, | often
heard Mr.. Bright, who was counted |
one OF tho great orators Of the nation
ana tribune OF the people. MIR. Cob |
den | heard in Rockdale in his last
public speech. He had visited the
United Statcs-at that time terra
incognita," almost in England-and |
whore he had invested the half million
OF dollars his friends had presented to
him, In Western railroads, which had |
not boon worry profitable to him. But
this had given him the opportunity to
know this country and people. Tell |
Ing OF it he said: elf l were o rich |
man | would found chair in Oxford |
University to teach American geogra-
phy."
This corn-law crusade was like the |
letting out Of water, and the torrent
grew in force and impetus till nearly |
all tho wrongs and burthens of that
great people have been swept away.
Sir Robert Peel, who said he owed his
change OF mind on this great question
to tho speeches Of Mr.. Golden In Par
Lament, left tho Tory party and gave |
the people cheap bread. Mr.. Glad