_Well, in Staffordshire there lived another Lord, not very
rich. He was much younger than the Lord we have been speaking
of. When he left school he went into the Army. Being a
thoughtful lad he sat down, as it were, by the roadside of
life: before him two paths branched off--the path of Luxury and
the path of Duty. And Pleasure said to him--"Enjoy yourself."
But Duty replied--"Remember your poor Fellow Countrymen. Are
not you one of their natural guardians? What were rank and
wealth given you for?" Well, this young Lord listened to the
call of Duty, and he vowed that his life should be useful._
So he began by devoting the time he could spare from his
military duties to visiting the poor and wretched. By way of
a start he got together a subscription of _Three Thousand
Pounds_, and fitted up a large house in London, in which poor,
houseless creatures, of whom there are thousands in London,
who sleep in the streets and cellars, or whatever shelter
they can find, might have a comfortable and clean bed, at a
very trifling charge. He was now about _twenty years of age_.
His occupation had become a real pleasure. He travelled much
about England, and went through our large towns, and over
factories, and got together all _the facts_ he could about
the state of the Working Classes. Whilst thus employed, the
Engineers on the railways struck. The Directors wanted to
increase their Dividends, and took away from the Engineers some
privileges they had always enjoyed; but the Engineers would not
stand this, so they stood out. Unskilful Engineers were set
on--accidents happened; there was great confusion and alarm.
Well, the Engineers looked round for an Arbitrator, and they
chose one. Whom? THIS YOUNG LORD; for they had heard of him and
his kind heart.
Soon after the death of the Duke of Wellington, a large sum
of money was subscribed to erect a lifeless monument to his
Grace. But this young Lord Ingestre proposed that the money
should be spent in securing to the poor of London free Water,
and their share of the light of Heaven, the common property
of us all--and other Sanitary improvements, necessary to the
health and strength of the working man. It was for this that
the "Times Newspaper" fell foul of the young Lord, and called
him a silly young medler. But many simple folks, and especially
hardy sons of toil, are still of the young Lord's opinion. I
think that the Great Duke would have wished so too, could he
have spoken from the tomb. But the "_Times_" owed Lord Ingestre
a "grudge" for supporting the Engineers against the Railway
Directors, and the opportunity was taken of venting their
spleen.
But our young Lord had too much pluck to be set down by a
Newspaper, so he just went on as before, and tried to get at
the truth respecting the Working Classes, and the way to make
them better off. After seeing things in England, he went to
America on the same errand. Whilst there his Friends sent
for him to return to England, to contest the representation
of his native County against the Candidate brought forward
by the Lord above spoken of, and other Lords and great folks
like him. Well, when they heard he was coming, they told the
poor folks all sorts of lies about the young Lord: that he was
for a little loaf--that he was all for the rich--that he was
against Free Trade; but, fortunately, the young Lord had time
to go through the County, to see and speak to the people. And
he asked them--"_Is it likely that I, who have all my life been
working for the Labouring Man, to secure him and his children
comforts and blessings_, that I am so foolish and wicked as to
take away from him his bread?" And the people looked round upon
the houses in ruins, and it seemed to them strange that a noble
Lord should have ever thought, except at an election, of the
Working Man's good.
MEN OF STAFFORDSHIRE! ARE YOU ENGLISHMEN? If so, why do
you permit yourselves to be dictated to? Your FATHERS were
Free MEN! Were you animated by my spirit (and I am a plain
Englishman like yourselves), you would never hear of a Lord
_commanding_ the Votes of a _free_ people.
The law says, if a poor man takes a shilling, or accepts of a
glass of beer at an election, IT IS AN HEINOUS CRIME.
The law says if a noble Lord, though to secure an Earldom for
himself, _commands_ his Tenants to vote his way, IT IS NO CRIME
AT ALL.
_February 1st, 1854._
* * * * *