I have a single article in my sample of articles from concerning the tax resistance campaign against elements of the Education Act. This, from the Northampton Mercury, concerned an auction of goods seized from tax resisters in which, somewhat bizarrely, one of the resisters was also the auctioneer. Excerpts:
Passive Resistance in Northampton.
The first sale of the distrained goods of Passive Resisters in the Borough of Northampton took place at the Auction Mart, Abington-square Cafe, Northampton, on .
About 90 Passive Resisters who conscientiously objected to contribute to the rates that proportion of the amount which would be devoted to the support of sectarian teaching, were summoned at the Northampton Borough Police Court on .
The distress warrants were issued in due course, and they were executed, generally by the assistant overseers of the several parishes, about ten days or a fortnight ago.
Mr. G.W. Beattie, one of the resisters, proffered his services as auctioneer free of charge, and needless to say the offer was gratefully accepted.
The sale took place in Mr. Beattie’s auction mart, where he had stored the goods free of charge from the date of their seizure.
There were in all 87 lots, including two from the village of Duston.
The auctioneer himself had his goods seized on three distress warrants — one for his residence, the second for his office in College-street, and the third for his auction mart.
One or two other resisters were summoned for two rates.
A complete list of the resisters, the goods seized, and the amounts required by each warrant, appeared in ’s Northampton Daily Reporter.
At , when the sale commenced, the room was full, quite 250 persons being present, the resisters being well in evidence.
Mr. Beattie was greeted with hearty applause when he took his stand at the table.
In opening the proceedings he said that if he had not been a passive resister and in full and hearty sympathy with the movement nothing possible could have induced him to take that position that evening (hear, hear, and applause), for it was at once an unpleasant and unpopular duty.
(Hear, hear.)
To the greater part of that audience he knew that he need make no apology.
(Hear, hear.)
He thanked the overseers for allowing him to act as auctioneer at that sale.
(Hear, hear, and applause.)
The conditions of the sale were: Cash upon delivery and before removal.
(Laughter.)
He had arranged with the Rev. J.F. Nodder, the secretary of the Citizens’ League, that Mr. Nodder should start bidding for those resisters who desired their goods to be bought in.
Mr. Nodder would in such cases name the sum required by the warrant, plus the expenses, and if there were no further bids the goods would be at once knocked down to Mr. Nodder.
The sale then commenced.
The proceedings were most orderly and good humoured.
In nearly every case the goods were bought in by Mr. Nodder or by the owner personally.
Once or twice some would-be humourist bid 2d. or 3d. for a ten-shilling article before Mr. Nodder could bid the amount required, and now and again there was a little competitive bidding, but in hardly any case was there any serious attempt to purchase the articles.
Of the 87 lots about 70 were knocked down to Mr. Nodder’s first bid without any attempt at competition.
In half a dozen cases where the bidding did not equal the amount required by the overseers the auctioneer announced that the articles were by arrangement bought in by the assistant overseers concerned.
The names of one or two prominent ministers and citizens who are well known in the movement were received with hearty applause as soon as their goods were offered…
…Mr. Frank Bates put into the sale a framed portrait of the Rev. Dr. Clifford, and, needless to say, the portrait of the apostle of passive resistance, who is such a favourite in Northampton, quite brought down the house…
Mr. Beattie [said]… he was only sorry that in Northampton, known throughout the world, and certainly throughout the length and breadth of this kingdom, as a town which stood for religious freedom, that there were only 90 resisters.
(Hear, hear.)
They had not reached the end of the struggle yet by a very long way.
There were some in connection with the League who, if he had judged them aright, intended to show their resistance in a very different form ere long if the occasion demanded it.
(Applause.)
The sale occupied barely an hour.
A protest meeting was held shortly after. Hymns were sung, a letter from John Clifford was read, and the usual speeches were given. One of these was by Rev. Arthur Morgan, who said in part:
He was beginning to think that instead of a Passive Resistance Brigade, they would have to have a Prison Brigade.
(Applause.)
They knew the inconvenience of having their goods sold, and some of them knew what it was to have to pay more than they could afford for the rights of conscience, but when they saw men sneering and laughing at their action they were beginning to wonder whether they should not rise to a higher level and say to their critics, “If you think this is a joke, if you think this is a mere trick on our part to overthrow the Government, you have sadly mistaken us, and sadly mistaken our action.
(Applause.)
We are prepared to go to prison for the Right (applause), and I for one,” added Mr. Morgan, “am prepared to step across the dividing line from being a Passive Resister into becoming a member of the Prison Brigade.”
(Cheers.)
The Education Act must be killed, and if the only way to destroy it was through the prison, then, God help them to put upon themselves the brand of the prison, the stain of the prison house, for they must kill it.
(Loud applause.)
I also found an early mention of suffragette Dora Montefiore’s tax resistance, in which it is suggested that she learned the tactic from the anti-Education Act campaign. This comes from the Leamington Spa Courier and Warwickshire Standard:
Dora the Determined.
“Evil communications corrupt good manners.”
So wrote Tertullian, so quoted Paul, so it has happened in the case of Mrs Dora B. Montefiore, of Hammersmith.
The lady being undoubtedly of Hebrew origin, we cannot suppose that she has much sympathy with Dr. Clifford, the apostle of passive resistance.
But that she has been studying Dr. Clifford’s methods is evident.
She has not only studied them, but has resolved to put them into practice.
Not indeed so far as the education rate is concerned, but with respect to a rate of much more importance, the Income Tax to wit.
Upon what grounds?
Non-representation.
She holds strong views on the subject of female suffrage, and she has informed the Daily News that she has resisted the claim for Income Tax because she is refused a voice in the spending of the taxes, and “taxation without representation is tyranny.”
Her goods have been seized, and will be sold on .
There is, of course, no reason why “passive resistance” should not be adopted by the whole army of faddists; but what becomes of civilised and constitutional government in the meantime?
