THE NEW CNA 'lain MOVEMENT.
Casensm has returned to town after-three years' absence, and is reintroduced to the public by the Times. Chartism, which ap- peared to have committed suicide in 1848, like an Indian devotee at the feast of Juggernaut, by a, voluntary prostration under the feet of the Special Constable, suddenly arises in the midst of. us- " medio de fonte leporum "—with renewed life ! It seems by the great chronicle of the day, that the unknown. Mirabeaus and Sieyes have been sitting in convention, whence they have issued a." pro, gramme " of action for the season, as comprehensive as any from the energetic brain of Mr. Lumley, propounding a general' re- organization of society—universal suffrage, right of labour, na- tionalization of land, and what not.
This reappearance, with so much redundancy of vigour—on paper—will surprise many of our readers who have supposed that Chartism. was decently buried after the 10th of April 1848. But sudden resurrections are as common on the political as they are on the theatrical stage. It is true that in one sense Chartism has been dead : the members of " the working classes," disgusted with the failure of their great demonstration, with the conduct of their "leaders," with the discredit thrown on their "monster petition" by the wholesale importation of ribald signatures, have since been totally inert and apathetic. The prosperity which is so grateful to the Chancellor of the Exchequer has contributed to this inert- ness: Candid politicians admitted as probable, that many of the gennine old original Chartists held aloof from the joint demon- stration with the Irish ; and it would appear from the names now advanced that most of the quondam leaders have dropped off through death or disappointment and disgust. From statistics that have come out in the recent movements of the Chartist body, it would appear that the number of those claiming to be members of the Association does not amount to 4000, for the whole of Great Britain ; a fact which would alone imply that the numbers, in the separate towns must be utterly in signifleant. In its three-years burial, Clartimn has wasted to-a
bare skeleton. Few who have thought- of it at all would be pre- pared to learn such a complete ossification of the once formidable body.. It would be difficult,, indeed; to reconcile that wasting' with the preservation of any life- at all, if it were only a matter of sta- tistics ; and on- their - showing, the prostration: of Chartism might be. as unduly exaggerated now as its vigour and dimensions once were The Charter Association, however, still retains some facul- . ties. Although but a skeleton, it still has its members stationed in the- towns of the non-agrionitural districts, possessing a ma- chinery inferior only to that of some of the great religions associa- tions; its member& are among the active politicians of the• work- ing classes ; they are able in some places to- show what intelli-
gence activity, fixed purpose, and o • lion can do in. creating-
practical influence. In the Staffo Potteries, for example, although undeniably insignificant in numbers, as. undeniably do the Chartists hold a balance of power in the management of local affairs : thus, in the recent election of Guardians, they are said to have " nominated" those who were eleeted. They seem to have acquired this really remarkable position by using their organiza- tion for the popular party, whatever that may be; in present_prac- tical
From the programme published by the Times it is evident that the new movement is an attempt to apply this method to the king- dom at large : the Charter Association advertises- itself, with the help of the Leading Journal, as the general agent of the working- classes. Consistently-with that view,. the reviving Chartists invite a union witlithe Socialists--a.eonsiderable aedincreasing number, hitherto not organized.
The new and enlarged attempt is made in a state of the public feeling considerably altered since 1848. Although, standing with practical England in the remote and shadowy region of "
neither Chartism nor Socialism is quite the bugbear that it once was : common sense begins to regard- each as a rude husk Contain- ing some kernel of truth that may be worth. analysis ; a process in which even, the Times begins to assist in. a. slashing bantering fashion.
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