The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-08-05 00:00:00

SUNDAY DEMONSTRATION IN HYDE
PARK.

Last .Maday an.ther " demonstration " was held in Hyde
Batt, called too:pother by the land and Lahour League, to
protest assolist the proposed annuity to Prince Arthur.
Thongh kohl under the presidency 41 Mr. George triter, the
demonstration. in point if 11118IberS, 88 compared w ith pre-
vious gatherings. was a complete failure, anil a marked
feature ..f the day and the audiences was tin, preference given .
to the " Mock Litany " ruffians, who 1,11 thiS occasion mus-
tered mo legs than five platforms, and drowned each ''thorn
voices in chanting the abominable trash in whiiih they dealt.
The " demonstration " was to have commenced at three
o'clock. but the leaders were not ponchos% and the ° Most :
Litany" men it,,,, obtained a good that t. When, at about half- .
an-hour after time, the te,i. era Were about to commence,
storm of rain came down, which drove all therealsouts
under the trees wbleh were so much despoiled on pre-
lions occasions of liii., character : and therefore the limb ,
had to sulfcr tor the destruction committed toy former
dennonstrationists, inasmuch as the trees, shorn of '
their spreading branches, could no longer give ghTlter to the
many, and mo small number were al"9110,0y drenehed in
the half-an-hours rain which fell. h hen the storm had
ceased, a park seat at a lift I. eJstance was converted into a
Platt.rfil, and Mr. (Memo, inutd cheers, took the position of
chairman. In the ToMMencement it his speech he was much
interrulled e well-dressed person, who was innormlent
eumgh to e..leiinue a running comment upon the speaker's
words. Mat il at last the audience hustled him out of the
throng, and fully half the numlwr engaged in the pleasant
task, to them, of rininhnt him down. Mr. huger then pro-
ceeded with his speech, in Um mairse of which he declared,
that the people had a right to discuss that question of the
proposed annuity to Brinell Arthur, and defended the people's
right to meet in the park. Con the first Watt. he said the
people found the money for all tinge pnrposes, and as the tio-
vernment hall made m arranme,,,ents for giving the people a
hall where they might 141,..tx and discuss their views, there
was no place More 011Ing than the open parks. He then re-
ferred to the otiaosition raised in the House ot Commons by
Mr. &awl+ Hume and Mr. John Bright on the proposal to
make n Plivtatiun for the Duke tot Cambridge, and the es
-
Antilles of these also men, one of whom had been a
Minister in the present tnovennnent, was surely not wrong
when followed by the Peonle them.Thes. He denied that
there was any indelicacy in mooting the question, or in
following the precedent !et in the House of commons by
Mr. Joint lii ght, and he declare.' the whole country
Wasl IloW aronsin..: itself to speak upon this nilestion.
BirinitiOntm, l'ortsioolith, nail Manchester hail already
by theft resolutions protested against more grants. Ile
contrasted the wretched m.verty of the labourers at 125., 10s.,
' and 95. a week with the abundance of the hiOnr anne4, and
declared that the Magistrates and land...niers who c, nistitnted
the House of 'onnuons shionlol toil the Queen to provide for
her OWII faniil9. jind irs they cowl...died the agricultural
laisairer on his few Tinnings a week to provide for his family,
and not ,title sit to provide for hiS father or mother as
well, • MTh he was compelled to do "eta as to save the rates."
The `raker react two eNtmets from newspapers, giving cases
lin which agricultural lalsourers with 104. a week had been
I ordered hi pay ball a-en den a week for a father, eel &eh:red
I- that the Ihnien, with her enormous income, Amnia la to ide
fur her children herself.

Mr. Henessee then pro-Toned a rc,olot ton to the effect that
a petition +10..11,1 It 90ot to the House of Commons express-
ihg the " feclis,3 .4( ,nrPrik, and indignation od the meeting
at the pr,opi 4.311,1. 511 RAditi..ll tt. the already enornion,,,,,nta
LI. the lloyst Foully." The speaker referred to Mr. Gladstone's
conduct he re,:ard to the Itoral Warrant as the act .4 a Went-
worth, and declared his belief that this proposed annuity
was the price which the gores had exacted for signing the
Warrant.

•
311. Shipton seconded the motion, wide!, WWI earrled with
three dis.sentlents, and the 10110%111Z IT,Chlti.lll C 1.9 also
adopted :—.• "lhat, in the opinion .‘f this meeting, the conduct
of the Government in In-timing h•rward this question at the
end of the Session, end trying to hurry it through the !louse
of Commons, withont aPowing sufficient time to members of
Parliament to consult their constituents, or public opinion to
express itself, is deserving of severe censure. '

The meeting resolved to adjourn until Mondoy evening at
Trafalgar square, and the into coming on again dispersed all
the speakers and all the audiences.