September the strike wore itself out. The workmen went back to the mills and coal-mines without any assurances as to their future wages. The economic situation was as black as was the course of politics. With a falling market, with employers at their wits' end how to sell their products, there was no chance of a successful strike. The appeal from the Commons to the people had proved a sorry failure. Once more the Chartists had mismanaged their opportunities through divided counsels and conflicting ideals.
The discomfited remnant that was still free fiercely quarrelled over the apportionment of the blame for the recent failure. There was a strong outcry against the old Executive. It was denounced for insolence, despotism, slackness, wastefulness, and malversation. A warm welcome was given to a proposal of Cooper's that the Association should receive a new constitution which dispensed with a paid Executive.[1] As a result of an investigation at a delegates' meeting towards the end of the year, the Executive either resigned or was suspended.[2]
MacDouall was made the scapegoat of the failure. He it was who had given the worst shock to the credit of Chartism.[3] How many tracts might have been published and distributed with the money lavished upon MacDouall.[4] In great disgust the exile renounced his membership of the Association.[5] However, he came back to England in 1844, and at once made a bid for restitution. His first plan was to drive home the old attack on O'Connor by an attempt to set up a separate Chartist organisation for Scotland independent of the English society.[6] At the same time he denounced O'Connor for his ungenerous exploitation of his pecuniary obligations to him in the hope of binding him to him and gagging him.[7] It was O'Connor, too, who had advised him to run away in 1842 in order to throw upon him the whole responsibility for the Plug Riots. Both accusations are only too credible, but no trust can be given to MacDouall's statements. His veracity and good faith are more than disputable, and his constant change of policy was at least as much due to self-interest as to instability. He was one of the least attractive as well as most violent of the Chartist champions.[8] It is startling after all this to find that
- ↑ Northern Star, December 10, 1842. But compare ibid. December 3.
- ↑ Ibid. January 7, 1843.
- ↑ Ibid. December 10.
- ↑ Ibid. December 17, 1844.
- ↑ British Statesman, December 17.
- ↑ Northern Star, February 17, 1844. Compare ibid. November 23 and December 28.
- ↑ Ibid. February 15, 1842.
- ↑ For a very frank view of the morality and motives of MacDouall, "the doctor," as he calls him, see Alexander Somerville's Autobiography
