INTRODUCTION TO THE JOURNAL 



were all pawned (as my friend Cobbett truly calls it) to pay the 

 Debts of the Borough, or seat, owners. I saw, that, of whatever 

 I might be able to give to my children, as well as of what they 

 might be able to earn, more than one half would be taken away to 

 feed pensioned Lords and Ladies, Soldiers to shoot at us, Parsons 

 to persecute us, and Fundholders, who had lent their money to 

 be applied to purposes of enslaving us. This view of the matter 

 was sufficient to induce the father of nine children to think of the 

 means of rescuing them from the consequences, which common 

 sense taught him to apprehend. But, there were other con 

 siderations, which operated with me in producing my emigration 

 to America. 



856. In the year 181 1 and 1812 the part of the country, in which 

 I lived, was placed under a new sort of law : or, in other words, 

 it was placed out of the protection of the old law of the land. 

 Men were seized, dragged to prison, treated like convicts, many 

 transported and put to death, without having committed any 

 thing, which the law of the land deems a crime. It was then that 

 the infamous Spy-System was again set to work in Lancashire, 

 in which horrid system FLETCHER of Bolton was one of the principal 

 actors, or, rather, organizers and promoters. At this time I 

 endeavoured to detect the machinations of these dealers in human 

 blood ; and, I narrowly escaped being sacrificed myself on the 

 testimony of two men, who had their pardon offered them on 

 condition of their swearing against me. The men refused, and 

 were transported, leaving wives and children to starve. 



857. Upon this occasion, my friend DOCTOR TAYLOR, most 

 humanely, and with his usual zeal and talent, laboured to counter 

 act the works of FLETCHER and his associates. The DOCTOR 

 published a pamphlet on the subject, in 1812, which every English 

 man should read. I, as far as I was able, co-operated with him. 

 We went to London, laid the real facts before several members 

 of the two houses of Parliament ; and, in some degree, checked 

 the progress of the dealers in blood. I had an interview with 

 Lord Holland, and told him, that, if he would pledge himself to 

 cause the secret-service money to be kept in London, I would 

 pledge myself for the keeping of the peace in Lancashire. In 

 short, it was necessary, in order to support the tyranny of the seat- 

 sellers, that terror should prevail in the populous districts. Blood 

 was wanted to flow ; and money was given to spies to tempt men 

 into what the new law had made crimes. 



858. From this time I resolved not to leave my children in such a 

 state of things, unless I should be taken off very suddenly. I saw 

 no hope of obtaining a Reform of the Parliament, without which 

 it was clear to me, that the people of England must continue to 

 work solely for the benefit of the great insolent families, whom I 

 hated for their injustice and rapacity, and despised for their 

 meanness and ignorance. I saw, in them, a mass of debauched 

 and worthless beings, having at their command an army to compel 



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