LIFE AND LABOURS
No Dº nºw
ORATOR, ELOCUTIONIST,
AND
TRIBUNE OF THE PEOPLE,
BY
SILVEST E R ST CLA I R.
D AND PUBLISHED (FoR THE AUTHOR) BY
DE MORGAN AND CO.

*
JOHN DE MORGAN.
EIILOSOPHERS used to dream of a time when man would be
able to act in two different directions at the same time, when
the Doppelhanger or the “Double” should be a recognised scientific
principle, and when it should be made subservient to known laws.
On this philosophic theory were based many of the old fairy tales
and records of wonder. Men and women appearing and disap-
pearing at will, suddenly striking a blow at their enemies when
they were supposed to be many miles distant. If Mr. John
De Morgan had lived five hundred years ago, and could have
been able to achieve what he has been doing of late years, he
would have stood a chance of being burned at the stake or
drowned as a wizard or necromancer. In all parts of the United
Kingdom, the poor feel that they have a giant to fight for them,
and the oppressors know that the power he is able to evoke from
a slumbering population is terrible. If England was as much
alive as in the times of Cromwell, we should not hesitate to de-
clare that another leader or Tribune had arisen, and that mon-
archy, aristocracy, and bad government had once again a very
formidable antagonist to meet.
This man's name has become a household word; mothers call
their children by it, fathers point their sons to the portrait of the
man whose career we are noticing, and pray that they may follow
the principles of “the champion,” as they call him.
His energies seem like the rest of his character, truly wonder-
ful. We read that he lectured eight times and travelled
800 miles every week for three years. His lectures are not
mere written effusions, but every one is original, differing from
others, and delivered with a soul-impassioned fervour. A person
may hear the same lecture delivered several times, but will always
find the subject in a new garb — or containing much that is
new and attractive.
Mr. De Morgan, although so often painted by some of the
press as being a rioter—is a refined gentleman of collegiate
education, and in private life is gentle and amiable, without
assumption or egotism. He, however, lives in his work, and
carries out in his life the teachings of the platform. He believes
that life is a mission, and that he has special work to do; this gives
him an earnestness which many orators lack. He knows no

2
fear. Often has he slept in a prison cell, often been deprived of
that liberty of which we heard him say in one of his lectures,
“O Liberty 1 what art thou? O my God, help my soul to still
further realize the grandeur of Liberty. I left the prison cell, a
strange feeling came over me, I could not understand the sensa-
tion, the houses seemed to whirl round me, I alone remained
stationary. Was it a dream—a phantom of a diseased mind 2
Oh, no—I was free I danced with joy; I was free! I could
have fallen down on my knees and worshipped Liberty. I was
free—free to go on with my work. The prison cell left behind
me—I raised my hands aloft. Yes, I was free indeed. O God,
let me never cease work until all are morally, as well as
physically, as free as I then felt.”
Although Mr. De Morgan has endured several terms of im-
prisonment, yet his life is unstained with crime. He has suffered
for his principles, and although his constitution has been im-
paired, he has been firmer than ever in his work. At Christmas-
tide, 1877, he spent eight weeks in Holloway City Prison for a
technical Contempt of Court. He was allowed to receive and
write letters, and in the eight weeks 3,000 letters reached his
cell, and he wrote about the same number. Over £50 was spent
by him in that period in distributing his views through the agency
of the printing press. But we may be asked, “ In what does De
Morgan excel ?” and we answer, in everything he attempts. We
have heard him as an elocutionist, and well-known critics have
compared him to a Forest, a Kean, a Montgomery, or a Bellew.
We have heard him on Radical politics, and people have com-
pared him to O’Connell, Fergus O'Connor, Gladstone, Bright, and
Gambetta. When we come to the Land Question, we are bound
to admit him a perfect master of the subject. Not only—on the
commons—does he pull down illegally-erected fences, but he is
his own lawyer and defends his case in Court. In the Rolls
Court, in London, he has won for himself the respect and esteem
of all. De Morgan lectured recently on Medical Reform, and a
doctor present declared he had never heard anything equal to it.
His lectures on Temperance and Health Reform are soul-stirring,
and bring conviction to the mind as well as to the ear.
He točk up the question of the imprisonment of the Tichborne
Claimant, because he believed justice had miscarried, and power
and eloquence compelled the country to hear of the maladminis-
tration of justice. He organized a demonstration so powerful
that the Government brought out the military, giving each man
15 rounds of ball cartridge, and 3,000 police to guard the Houses
*
*
§
..of Parliament at a cost of £2,000 to the Government. The
Home Secretary had to consent to receive a deputation, although
no such instance had been known for 200 years. The Irish have
in De Morgan a champion bold and fearless, and we have
seen the tears trickle even from the eyes of the English
when they have heard the wrongs of Ireland dilated on by
the orator. We cannot detail all the subjects Mr. De Morgan
lectures on ; all we know is this, he has published a list of 293,
and has another list of a 100 more, and we vouch for his ability
to handle all well. The writer has thought that the people would
like to know more of this man than they can glean from passing
newspaper notices, and he has therefore undertaken the task
—which has proved a pleasant one—of recording a few events
in the past history of one who has already made a name for him-
self, and who would make a useful member of the Legislature.
We asked Mr. De Morgan once, “Who his father was 2° The
answer was characteristic, “Why do you want to know? Judge
* me for what I am, and not for what my father was.” But
it was once our pleasure to hear our orator on the subject,
“Home, Sweet Home,” and then we heard him speak in the
highest terms of his parental home. “My father,” said the
lecturer,” was intensely honest and upright, so honest he injured
himself rather than descend to the every day tricks of social
and commercial life. No man ever heard him swear, no man
ever knew him tell a lie. He was kind, noble hearted, and good,
and with his wife—my mother—formed a model for all to imi-
tate. My parents' sole aim was to make their children not rich,
but useful—not lazy drones, but workers—and I thank my God.
for giving me such useful lessons in my youth.”
It is over 20 years since Mr. De Morgan delivered his first
lecture, and then it was on Temperance. A local paper re-
ferring to the lecture says, “The Boy Orator impressed every
one of his hearers with the truth of his remarks, and we could
see that the speaker was born to become a brilliant auxiliary to
the platform,” But it is not with boyish efforts and youthful
oratory that we have to deal, but with that later period of life,
when stern work as well as earnest eloquence characterized the
career of him of whom we are speaking. First let us describe
the man. Some have imagined that Mr. De Morgan must be a
monster in human form, that his manners must be those of the
bully, and that he must have an utter disregard for the proprie-
ties of society. In person, he is about 5 feet 8 inches in
height, small hands and feet, high forehead and large bright eyes.
*
4.
&
One newspaper describes him as “possessing a pleasing counten.
ance, large flashing eyes, and dark curly hair.” Another says,
“We were surprised to see the lecturer in person so different to
our expectations, and in manners a gentleman ; as he appeared
on the platform in evening dress, and as he slowly pulled off his
white kid gloves, we asked ourselves whether this could be the
same man who had done so much which had been described as
riotous.” The Rev. Dr. Maurice Davies in his work entitled,
“Unorthodox London,” speaking of Mr De Morgan says:—
“Mr. De Morgan looked a full ten years younger than the
youngest of his auditors; had a fluffy head of hair, parted de-
voutly down the middle, an incipient moustache, and wore a gay
flower in his button-hole. I found his voice was as pleasant as
his appearance. He was the very model for a ‘duck’ of a
curate, and I am sure his eyes and voice would have been irresist-
ible with the young ladies.” The Sheffield Post of March
13th, 1877, calls Mr. De Morgan “a little young man, with
an open face, beaming eyes, dark curly hair, and who speaks
with an Irish accent.” . A writer in the Leicester Post says:—
“This new Iconoclast is a moderately built man of a very
good physiognomy and rather curly hair, and appears to my
mind, a brother of Sir Baldwin Leighton's, both physi-
cally and politically, more than a man of the masses and an
advocate of open competition for all classes in appointments of
national character. Mr. De Morgan is a clever well read gentle-
man, beyond all doubt, and a most eloquent and convincing
speaker.” A Bristol paper compared Monsignor Capel with Mr.
De Morgan, to the favor of the latter. In 1868 we find Mr. De
Morgan in Belfast, working hard in favor of the disestablish-
ment of the Irish Church. His lectures were declared to be
convincing, and a great amount of enthusiasm was aroused. The
Northern Star (Belfast), Dec. 5th, 1868, says:—“Mr. De Mor-
gan handled his subject with great ability, displaying in his dis-
course an amiability of manner, gracefulness of address, and
clearness of style which won greatly on the audience. The lec-
ture was both edifying and instructive.” Speaking of the lecture
on “The Poetry of Love,” the Ulster Easaminer says:—“By his
beauty of diction and chaste eloquence, he fairly vindicated his
right to take high rank among the modern interpreters of our
great masters of poesy.” Even the Conservative News Letter.
had to admit the lecture to be “eloquent and soul-stirring.”
Not content with his labours on the platform, we find Mr. De
Morgan in correspondence with the leading men of the time.
5 *
George Francis Train at that time was illegally imprisoned in the
Four Courts, Marshalsea, Dublin, and we find the two congenial
spirits corresponding. The enthusiastic, eccentric, but patriotic
and learned American and the young Republican of Belfast were
drawn together by the common tie of political freedom. The
late Isaac Butt was also one of the men who discussed political
questions with our orator, and in a lecture delivered at Armagh,
in December, 1868, Mr. De Morgan suggested a Federation of
Nations as the only means by which Ireland could be pacified
and the British Empire become a real strength. The scheme
was for England, Scotland, and Ireland, each to have legislative
independence, being only bound together by the tie of Federation.
After travelling through Ireland, Mr. De Morgan settled down
as teacher of elocution and oratory in Cork, winning for himself
golden opinions from all sorts of people. But his spirit was too
active for a quiet life—and not even the excitement of his pro-
fession could tempt him to quit the region of politics. During
the time he devoted to the teaching of elocution, his success was
unparelleled; classes were formed in monasteries; priests,
Protestant clergymen, lawyers, and men of eyery rank of life
flocked to him for instruction, and many a mumbling curate and
stuttering lawyer obtained voices as clear as a bell, and thus
opened the floodgates for their natural eloquence to burst forth.
Classes were also formed at the colleges and academies, and all
were bound to acknowledge with the Cork Daily Herald, “that
Mr. De Morgan had proved himself a perfect master of the art of
oratory and elocution.” But he fell from his high position, and
became an outcast in Cork. Through what agency and for what
cause ? Let Mr. De Morgan himself answer. In “Fwe Years'
Autobiography” he says, “In October, 1870, I was called on to
take part in a struggle going on between Capital and Labour.
Some men left their work at one of the large ironfoundries
without giving notice. At once the employers prosecuted the
men, and the unpaid magistracy (employers also) inflicted a fine
of £5, or in default, one month's imprisonment. Although sup-
ported and employed by the middle class, I gave a lecture for
the Cork Labourers’ Association, on November 1st, 1870, on the
Rights of Labour—and by this means I brought on myself the
suspicious autocratic eyes of the employers, who used all possible
means to crush me. One thing I became convinced of, and that
was that we shall never have justice till our judges and
magistrates are elected by the people. All labour quarrels (as
long as wages slavery is allowed to exist) should be settled by a

6


jury consisting equally of workers and employers.” Mr. De
Morgan at this time became a vice-president of a society
established to obtain the repeal of the Compulsory Vaccination
Acts, and the Cork and London papers contained many letters
from him on the subject of Vaccination and Medical Reform. The
International Working Men's Association was fast becoming a
power, and its principles were so good, and its object so noble,
that Mr. De Morgan not only became a member, but established
a branch in Cork. The object of the “International” was to bind
in one fraternal union all the workers of the world. The
declaration subscribed to by the members declared that they
“acknowledge truth, justice, and morality as the basis of their
conduct towards each other and towards all men, without regard
to colour, creed, or nationality.” Members were enrolled in
every European country, and the International became a terror
to crowned despots and tyrannical capitalists. In Cork the
branch progressed very rapidly, until both Catholic priest and
Protestant clergyman denounced the Society and its members,
hesitating not to garnish their denunciation with slanders and
lies, declaring that the International had ordered every bishop
and priest to be shot, whereas the society was so thoroughly in
favour of peace, that it had tried to get Germans and French to
fraternize even during the war. Riot after riot ensued, and Mr.
De Morgan became the victim of the blind bigotry of those who
had been led away by the foolish Cry of La Commune. In
July, 1872, we find him commencing a crusade in England
against monarchy. Nearly every town re-echoed with his
denunciations of kingcraft. Instead of the Union Jack, the
glorious Stars and Stripes of America and the Tricolour of
France were displayed. In Nottingham, the Loyalists had a
brass band stationed just outside the hall where he was speaking
—intending to drown the orator's voice. The Chief Constable of
the County destroyed some placards announcing a Republican
meeting. Instantly the offender was brought before the
magistrates, who, however, refused to convict. Mr. De Morgan
did not let the matter rest; he got the Hon. Auberon Herbert
(brother of Lord Carnarvon), M.P. for Nottingham, to ask a
question in the House of Commons, and the matter got taken
also to the EIouse of Lords, where that aristocratic assembly
through the Lord Chancellor declared that Mr. De Morgan was
acting in a constitutional manner in his advocacy of Republic-
anism. By his daring, and yet cool method of advocating a sub-
ject bordering on treason, he became the hero of the hour, and a

º
monster demonstration was organized to welcome him to London,
Mr. De Morgan declined the ovation, unless it could be made of
some use, and he suggested that it should be a demand to the
Government for the release of the Irish political prisoners.
This was agreed to, and Mr. J. P. McDonnell, one of Ireland's
worthy sons, set to work to make it a success. The meeting
was announced to take place in Hyde Park, London, on Nov.
4th, 1872. The Government had issued certain bye-laws pro-
hibiting meetings being held in the Park. However, the edict
had little effect on the organizers of the demonstration. The
Morning Advertiser declared 150,000 persons assembled in the
Park. On the next day the Government applied for summonses
against the speakers. Mr. De Morgan was so proud of his that
he had it framed. It charged him, that he “did unlawfully act
in contravention of a certain regulation contained in the first
Schedule annexed to an Act of Parliament intituled ‘An Act for
...the Regulation of the Royal Parks and Gardens,’ to wit by
delivering a certain public address in a certain Park, to wit Hyde
Park, contrary to the statute.” Counsel were speedily retained
for such of the “rebels” as cared for such assistance, Messrs.
J. P. McDonnell, George Odger, and John De Morgan declaring
that they would fight their own case. The Government gained
a verdict in the Police Court, only to have it reversed in the
higher Court. During the time awaiting the appeal, Mr. De
Morgan addressed monster meetings throughout Scotland and
England, the torchlight meetings and processions in Aberdeen
being the most brilliant ever seen in the “land of the Scot.”
Sheffield, Bristol, Manchester, followed the example of Aberdeen,
and the result was that the Government had to withdraw its
obnoxious Park Acts, and the Right Hon. A. S. Ayrton, the
Cabinet Minister responsible, had to vacate his office, and at the
next election lost his seatin the House. In December, 1872, Mr.
De Morgan was the means of the calling together of the first
conference of Republicans held in England since Cromwell had
summoned his friends together to consult as to the future
Government of England. Letters were read from Sir Charles
Dilke, M.P., Prof. Fawcett, M.P., Jacob Bright, M.P., P. A.
Taylor, M.P., Sir Wilfrid Lawson, M.P., Hon. Auberon Herbert,
M.P., and other well-known men, sympathizing with the object
of the conference. An association was formed called “The
National Republican Brotherhood,” having for its object “the
establishment by legal means of a Republican Government.”
Meeting after meeting was held, and Republicanism became a
8
power. The movement was, however, injured by traitors within
its ranks, by loud-voiced demagogues whose only claim to public
confidence was the strength of their lungs and the bombast of
their declamation. In 1875, Mr. De Morgan threw his whole
soul into the Land Question, which he believed to be the basis of
all great and true reform. Wanting to do something more than
merely talk, he began by following in the footsteps of Cromwell.
A Lord of the Manor had stolen some portion of a Metropolitan
Common known as Hackney Downs. On December 11th, up-
wards of 50,000 people assembled on Hackney Downs to witness
the destruction of the fences. The police numbered in force and
seemed prepared to resist the Commoners. Mr. De Morgan
warned them that their lives were in danger if they opposed—
and wisely did the police withdraw. The fences were then
destroyed and burnt, the fire lasting until four o'clock in the
morning. Punch in its issue of December 25th, 1875; thus
immortalized the action:—
A FYTTE OF HACKNEY DOWNS.
It was open walking where Hackney Downs
Lies green beneath the skies, 3 * 4
Prom a time whereto man's memory
Runneth not contrariwise.
The Lord of the Manor hath made essaye
To enclose and build thereon;
And a blessing upon the Board of Works,
That to law with him have gone J
He planted postes and set up rayles, f
And hedged hym yn the grounde, t
The churl mote have waited at least until,
He law on hys side had founde.
For the Lord, the Hackney Commoners said,
To collar our common land,
Never sticking so much as to ask our leaye,
* Yttys more than we wyll stand } *
What right hath he that land to cribb 2 " . . '
And a curse upon his crown || ' ' ',
'Nb more to set fences and palings up, $
Than we have to pull them down. If
9
Soe busk ye, brown ye, merry men all,
To Hackney Downs hie we,
And let the proud Lord of the Manor know
We can doe as muche as he.
The Commoners all did wend their way
Unto Hackney Downs ºftsoon,
And thereon they met with much folk beside,
On a Saturday afternoon.
Then DE MORGAN up, and bespake the throng.
The fences that grieved their sight,
As having been reared against the law,
Colde be razèd as of right.
They needed not to abide the suit
Which at that time did pende,
"Twixt the Lord of the Manor and Board of Works,
Howsoever that cause might ende. *
The Commoners all had rights of their own,
Apart from either side,
To clear those palings and postes away,
From letting them walke and ride.
So forth to those iron rayles they went,
"To tear them from the land;
When they were *ware of thirty stout knaves,
Of Bobbies blue a band 1
The Bobbies, they drew their good ash staves,
For to guard the railings fain,
But a word their Superintendent spake,
And they put them up agayne.
Then went the Commoners to their work,
With many an hundred mo,
They seized the fences on Iſackney Downs,
And laid the enclosures low. ,

They tore up and twisted the iron rayles,
*Into whatso shape they wolde;
And eke uprooted the postes of oak g
That the iron rayles did holde,
The posts had been tarred but just that morn,
From seizing their hands to stay, ,, . "
All the betted therefore dyd the bonfire burn,
Which they made of the wood straightway,
*.
10.
In a trice of fences they cleared the ground,
And the people went to and fro,
Passing free over Hackney Downes once more
Whosoe'er them list to go.
May they only have kept within the Law
These Hackney Commoners true —
Then hooray for their geste upon Hackney Downs,
And their deed of derring-do I
The burning of the fences on Hackney Downs caused the
whole nation to look into the matter, and it was found that seven
million acres had been wilfully taken from the people and ap-
propriated by the rich landowners. Mr. De Morgan at once
sprang into notoriety, songs were written about him, his name
was introduced in the burlesques and pantomimes, and ministers
of the Gospel were heard to pray for the success of this daring
champion of public rights. In July, 1876, he pulled down some
fencing on Plumstead Common, in Kent. The Government used
the common—as he maintained illegally—for the exercise of the
Royal Artillery. Summonses were issued against Mr. De Mor-
gan and others, and the Government undertook to prosecute.
The challenge of the Government was accepted, it was a trial of
strength. On October 21st, 1876, the Government achieved a
victory by obtaining a verdict of guilty of rioting against Mr.
De Morgan, who was sentenced to two months' imprisonment
and to pay a fine of £50. As a first-class misdemeanant he was
allowed to write and receive letters, and to see friends. His
correspondents included Bishops, Peers, and M.P's. Men of all
ranks in life wrote to the prisoner. The men at Woolwich
Arsenal talked of a strike unless he was released, and so on Sun-
day, November 5th, after having served only 17 days and paid
no fine, he was released by order of the Queen. The order was
imperative for his liberation on the Sunday morning, a circum-
stance unparalleled in the history of the country. On Monday,
November 6th, the Plumstead Commoners held a demonstration
in honour of Mr De Morgan, at which upwards of 150,000 people
were present. The Times declared that it was impossible to
estimate the number present, but that “the 55 acres of ground
was densely packed with people.” The Woolwich Gazette thus
describes the demonstration:— 33
“About five o'clock on Sunday the startling news began to
spread through Woolwich that ‘De Morgan was out.” Few
would believe the statement, and everywhere inquiries were

ill
*
being made as to whether there was any foundation for the re-
port. It transpired that Mr Middleton, the secretary of the
Plumstead Common Protection League, had just received a note,
signed by Mr. De Morgan, stating that he had been released
from Maidstone Gaol that morning. This missive had been
written in a railway carriage, and handed out to a person at the
Dockyard Railway Station, with a request that it should be for-
warded to Mr. Middleton at once. Notwithstanding this, how-
ever, Mr. De Morgan's friends could scarcely believe that the
, whole affair was anything but a hoax, and it was only at eleven
o'clock on Sunday night, when a gentleman returned to Wool-
wich from Old Ford and declared that he had actually seen Mr.
De Morgan, that they would thoroughly believe the welcome
and surprising news.
“On the following evening (Monday) a great demonstration
was held at Woolwich and Plumstead to celebrate the release of
Mr. De Morgan from prison. It was such a demonstration as
has probably never been witnessed in Woolwich, or of late years
equalled in any other part of England.
“A procession was formed in Beresford Square, and proceeded
to perambulate the principal streets of the town. In front was a
cart full of grotesquely-dressed figures, with Mr. Butcher on
horseback acting as master of the revels. Next came a lot of
banners bearing such inscriptions as “No chain shall sully thee,”
“Long live De Morgan,” “Cursed be he that moveth his neigh-
bour's landmark,” &c., &c. Then there was a band of music
with a lot of torch bearers, and behind these the great object of
interest—Mr. De Morgan, riding in an open carriage drawn by
four greys, with postilions. In the rear there was another band
and one more interesting spectacle, viz., a cart containing two
extraordinary looking effigies, which were said to represent two
personages notoriously conspicuous on the side of the prosecu-
tion in the late trial at Maidstone.
“It was exactly 8 o'clock when the procession left the Square.
The various thoroughfares were crowded with spectators, and
in the principal streets nearly all the shops were closed. Most
of the upper windows which afforded a good view of the pro-
cession were occupied, and in many places there were coloured
lights and torches displayed. At every point Mr. De Morgan
was received with loud cheers, and bowed his acknowledgments
in return. Having reached a portion of Plumstead Common near
the centre, the procession came to a halt opposite a pile of faggots
and a gibbet which had been previously erected. The carriages


*
12
were placed on one side, and the effigies were brought to the
front and taken out of the cart. They were then hung in chains
on the gibbet, and remained in full view of the whole assembly
whilst Mr. De Morgan delivered a short address. He said that
they that evening sounded the requiem of those people who in-
fringed on the rights of others for the sake of their own selfish
ends. He need not mention the names of the gentlemen those
two effigies represented, but he wished them to understand that
it was not the men themselves they had any animosity against,
but that it was the principle which they represented to which
they were opposed. Mr. De Morgan then instructed the
executioner to “do his duty,” and the pile was set on fire by
one or two of the torch-bearers. The flames soon began to
ascend, and then it was that everybody was astonished at behold-
ing the immense proportions of the crowd which had assembled
on the Common. As far as the strong light of the fire would
penetrate there could be seen nothing but a mass of human beings,
all packed closely together.” .
Mr. Kimber, a well-known and greatly respected solicitor, in
speaking at that demonstration said:—“The country was in-
debted to Mr. De Morgan for his perseverance and courage, for
his complacency under trial, and for his self-denial under diffi-
culties. (Loud cheers.) He believed that in the future his
countrymen would reward him; for it would be in the highest
degree ungrateful if they did not show him some substantial
testimony in return for his services, which were such as had been
rendered by no public man in this country for at least 200 years.”
(Applause.) Mr. Kimber has won for himself deservedly the
title of an honest lawyer. He has rendered invaluable assistance
to Mr. De Morgan all through his campaign. ,
Mr. De Morgan a few evenings afterwards was presented with
a purse containing 50 guineas. f
Within a month after he had been released from gaol, he was
testing the Plumstead Common Question in another manner. The
Rolls Court had refused to grant an injunction against a man who
had dug a deep sand pit on the common, restraining him from
continuing his engroachment. A body of stalwart men were at
once set to work by the commoners' champion to fill in the sand
pit. The Government sent some of the Royal Engineers to get
some sand for the barracks, but Mr. De Morgan refused to allow
them—as he said—to steal the people's property. För several
days did this filling in continue, and the greatest excitement pre-
vailed. The Vicar of the parish had also erected some fencing



13
on Plumstead Common, but Mr. De Morgan went and chopped it
downſ For this he was summoned before the magistrate, but the
verdict was in his favour, and the rev. Wicar had to move back
the ancient landmark. The result of Mr. De Morgan's work has
been that Plumstead Common is now dedicated to the people for
ever as a recreation ground.
The public mind had been agitated for several years by the
great miscarriage of justice in the Tichborne case, and Mr. De
Morgan was the first publicly to denounce the verdict given.
The Claimant, on Feburary 28th, 1874, was sentenced to 14 years'
penal servitude, and on the next day Mr. De Morgan gave a
lecture on Reform of the Law, in which he criticised the verdict
and sentence, and declared that the judges had no power to inflict
two sentences for the same offence, raising a point of law which
has since been admitted to be worthy of argument, for in the
present year (1880) the Queen granted a Writ of Error in the
case. Upwards of a million of signatures were appended to
petitions asking for an inquiry into the whole case, including the
sentence. The Government declined to listen to the prayer of
the people. In 1877, Mr. De Morgan felt some greater move
must be made ; he therefore commenced a crusade against the
Government, and demanded that the Home Secretary should at
least receive a deputation on the subject. Mr. Cross (now Sir
R. A. Cross) in curt and almost uncourteous terms, said he would
not receive any deputation. The late Mr. Whalley time after
time brought it before the House of Commons, but with no good
results. . De Morgan therefore announced his intention of
organizing a demonstration, which should include a procession to
the House of Commons. This was declared to be illegal, but
the arrangements were continued. At last the day arrived.
Notice had been given to the Queen, the Government, and the
Police, that at all hazards the demonstration would take place.
- Mr. De Morgan received a very long letter from the Home
Secretary, warning him as to the consequences of proceeding,
and declaring that to hold a meeting within one mile of Parlia-
ment would be illegal. To this the agitator replied merely,
“the demonstration would be held" Another letter arrived
from the Home Office to the effect that the demonstration migh;
take place, on condition that none of the people were allowed or
invited to go beyond Trafalgar Square. To this the organizer
replied “that he intended going to the House of Commons.”
Once again came a letter from the now yielding Government,
that “if Mr. De Morgan and nine others wished to take a petition
- 14
adopted at the meeting, the police should have orders to act as
escort.” The rain fell most pitilessly the whole day. Mr. De
Morgan, anxious to preserve the peace, had issued orders that no
sticks or umbrellas were to be carried—and this order was
faithfully obeyed. Every one was drenched to the skin. The
Liverpool Mercury said 90,000 persons were present; the Times
50,000; the Manchester Ea:aminer 70,000; the Morning
Advertiger 40,000. It was admitted to be the largest demonstra-
tion ever held in London, and impartial critics admit that upwards of
100,000 persons were present. The greatest fear had seized upon the
Government and the Members of the EIouse of Commons. Three
thousand police and eight regiments of soldiers were stationed
round the Houses of Parliament. The World thus describes the
precautions:—“Inspector Denning, with the approval of Mr.
Secretary Cross, had placed a protector armed with a truncheon
behind every door, in every recess, in all the cellars, and perchance
upon the roof; to say nothing of numerous barricades of mounted
police at suitable intervals between Palace Yard and Charing
Cross.” Members of the House asked Mr. Whalley for an
introduction to Mr. De Morgan, so that they could get a pass
through the crowd. Mr. De Morgan, accompanied by nine
delegates from as many towns, entered the House of Commons,
and had a correspondence with the Cabinet Council then sitting,
the result being that the Home Secretary undertook to receive a
deputation and go thoroughly into the question if only Mr. De
Morgan would send the people home. This he consented to do,
and it has to be recorded that the one man had power for good
or evil over 100,000 men who were prepared to give their lives
at their leader's request. He had wrung from the Government
what had been persistently denied, and had achieved a tremendous
victory. Not a blow was struck, not the slightest rioting
occurred. The cause of the Tichborne Claimant was benefited
more by this action than by all the agitation and petitions prior.
Mr. De Morgan did not neglect the commons movement, for
we find the inhabitants of Wolstanton, in Staffordshire, present-
ing him with a magnificent cup, painted by a member of the
Royal Academy, and a purse of money for obtaining the restitu-
tion to them of Wolstanton Marsh. We next find him in Leeds,
where, with indefatigable energy, he brought the Hunslet Moor
question to the front. During the agitation, however, the
Master of the Rolls ordered Mr. De Morgan to be committed to
prison for Contempt of Court, alleged to have been committed in
connection with Selston Common. Herefused to surrender until he

15
w
had been told what offence he had committed, and then he should
demand to be tried by a jury. The warrant was issued, but Mr.
De Morgan went on with his work, and at Hunslet we find him
surrounded by 40,000 people asserting the rights of the
inhabitants by pulling up a rail from a steam tramway which he
maintained had been illegally laid across the moor. The tram-
way led to and from a coal mine, the property of the manorial
lords. The proceedings were orderly and quiet, and consterna-
tion reigned throughout the country. . The Government just
then was engaged in drafting a Criminal Code Bill, and a clause
was introduced making the pulling up of a rail leading to a
colliery an offence punishable by penal servitude for life.
Hunslet Moor has since been saved to the people, De Morgan's
agitation saving the Leeds ratepayers at least £100,000. On
the following Saturday, viz., December 15th, 1877, he was
arrested on theLord Chancellor's warrant and conveyed to Holloway
Gaol, London, for the alleged Contempt of Court. For eight
long and weary weeks he stayed there deprived of liberty. He
was not idle even in the prison cell, for he published weekly a
“Gaol Journal,” illustrated with views of the prison, his cell, &c.
He also edited a paper called De Morgan's Monthly, and sent
out upwards of 15,000 books, papers, and pamphlets, bold and
daring in tone, whilst he was an inmate of the cell. Upwards of
3,000 letters were received by him, some of them being
addressed to “ Garibaldi II.,” “The Modern Washington,”
“The People's Saviour,” and such like quaint addresses. When
he was released his tour through the country was one grand
triumphal procession. Thousands flocked the road sides as he
went into the various towns. Old men blessed him, and many a
widow and orphan sobbed tears of joy as they hailed him as
their deliverer. Deeds of plunder of public land were stopped
for a time; “De Morgan is coming” was a cry that caused the
land sharks to tremble. In nearly every part of the country has
he worked. His labours for the Irish have been unsurpassed,
his vigor and mental power have roused even the English to
acknowledge the justice of Ireland's claims. In November, 1879,
without employing a canvasser, without any committee or
organization, he was placed on the Leeds School Board at the
head of the poll with a majority of 8,000 above the second
candidate. $º
The working classes have ever found in Mr. De Morgan a true
and earnest friend. We have not space to detail the victor.es he
has gained at Selston, Banstead; Epping, and other parts of
16
England. Suffice it to say that in three years he rescued 50,000
acres from the clutches of the rich and gave them to the poor,
We know of no man who has achieved so much in so short a space
of time as Mr. De Morgan has done, and we can wish him God
speed wherever he may be. Whether under the free flag of
America or in England, the people will find him an honest, earnest,
and indefatigable champion of their rights.
We conclude with an extract from a pamphlet published in
London in 1877;—
“John De Morgan is not a man of empty words, but of
deeds. He is not given to blowing his own trumpet. His ante-
cedents are pure beyond all possibility of hostile question.
Young as he is, he has been now for many years known in Lon-
don and the Provinces as an able but modest lecturer on popular
subjects, an earnest, warm-hearted, but strictly, disinterested
supporter of every movement for the amelioration of the condition
of the masses. or their emancipation from feudal bonds, and their
advancement in the political sphere.
“ Large and g nerous in his views, he has championed alike
the cause of the working man in the town and the agricultural
labourer in the country; and he has earned everlasting gratitude
from Ireland in particular for the steadfast and valuable support
he has consistently lent to the Irish cause, as well as for his
warm and welcome sympathy with the best aspirations of Irish-
Iſle Il.
“ IIe has fought and won the great Battle of the Commons.
Passing over for lack of space his glorious victory on Hackney
Downs, with what admirable dexterity, with what rare skill,
what consummate generalship, and, above all, with what singular
meekness and good temper he piloted his followers through the
dangerous mazes of the difficult and arduous struggle at Plum-
stead, where he achieved the honours of a martyr, although the
enemies were afraid—for men who feel they are in the wrong
are invariably cowards at heart—to send him to join Sir Roger
Tichborne at Dartmoor, as undoubtedly they would have done if
they had dared 1
... John De Morgan was the leader in the Battle of the ſon-
mons at Plumstead and Hackney. In the great events that are
soon about to fake place, John I e Morgan will assuredly be the
leader in the Battle of the Commons of England
... The TRUE GENUINE COMING MAN is—
* JOIIN DE MORGAN.”
#

OPINIONS OF THE PRESS.
—O—-
“Mr De Morean is a clever well-read gentleman, and a most elo-
c ent and conv'ncine speaker.’-Lé ce fºr Post.
“Mr. De Mor n han el s bect with great ability, displaying
}n hi di course n amiability of manner, gracefulness of address, and
clearnes of style, whic won greatly on his audience. The lecture
was both edifying and ius;ruct e." Ileſa t Nort/en Sta.
“Mr. De M r an is an accompli hed elocutionist.”—Darlington Echo.
“Eve subje t trea ed by Mr. De Morgan shows evidence of great
tudy an research.” La t I, nº o Cou, ier.
“By h’ b auty of diction and chaste eloquence, he fairly vindicated
his right to take high rank among Whe modern interpreters of our great
maters of poesy.”—Ulster Ha'amine?.
“A true exponent of our great masters of poesy.”—Daily Telegraph.
“The lecture (Heroes of the Commonwealth) was an admirable,
almost dramatic, picture of the men and times, and should be heard in
every town.”—Last 7 Post.
“Mr. De Morgan is a man of good address, and an excellent
peaker.”—Leiceste - I’ost.
“Mr. De Morgan has fought the people's battle here with courage
and hone ty, and he has won the people's cause, whilst crowning him-
self with popular respect and confidence.”—Woolwich Gazette.
“Success to the resolute combatants and their determined leader (De
Morgan).”—Purch, February 19th, 1876.
“A graphic, exhaustive lecture.”—Nottingham Express.
* One of the mºst forcible and eloquent lecturers it has ever beda our
pleasure to listento.”—Ryde Peutilator.
“Mr. De Morgan is a gentleman of refined taste and great ability.”
Tipperary Free Press.
“The champion of the people's rights.”—Hour (London Daily).
uch lectures as given by Mr. Te Morgan must be the means of
bendºtting many, and doing much good.”—East London Observer.
“A\rue elocutionist.”—Hackney Gazette.
e Morgan is an eloquent speaker, and a popular orator.”—
67'tige)'.
& Morgan's careful rendering of the most advanced and
difficult colºupositions, proves him to be a scholar possessed of abilities
that the mos\able and experienced critic could not, with justice, sum
up nor limit. ^-E t London Courier.
Mr. De Morgan has received upwards of 5,000 favourable critici
from the English and. Irish Press, and is acknowledged to †
dressed more meetings in the year, and had larger audiences, than
other living lecturer. The Thºmes, speaking of an open air meeting
called by Mr. De Morgan, said that.” “55 acres were densely covered
with people.” The 10aily Teleg, aph estimated another meeting at
60,000; the Moºmi, 9 Advertiser, speaking of another, declared the num-
ber present to have been 150,000; the Leeds Daily News said, that at
the meeting held on Hunslet Moor there were 40,000 persons present.