The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1866-12-08 00:00:00

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1866.

THE REFORM HOLIDAY.

For some time past the working men of Lon-
don have been agitated by a proposal to meet in
large numbers on the 3rd of lhmeniber for the
purpose of making what is called a great Reform
demonstration, and the walls of Loudon have
been placarded with bills in which the words
" close the workshops' have been very promi-
nent. On Monday week a deputation waited on
Lord John Manners, the First Commissiener of
Works, to know whether the Government would
grant the use of Hyde Park or the Green Park
for the proposed meeting. The arguments of
the promoters of the movement were on thisoc-
casion fully stated, and may be briefly stated
thus: that Holyrood Park, near Edinburgh, had
been granted by the Government for a similar
purpose; that the London meeting would be an
equally orderly one ; that the permission to hold
such a meeting would be one of the best means
of healing any imitation that had been occasioned
by the unfortunate dispute in regard to the Hyde
Park meeting; that among those who intended
to meet were members of friendly societies who
had not less than four millions invested in the
funds; and that the working CI9.BSCS generally
had every desire to maintain order. Lord John
Manners, in reply, though not fully entering into
the whole question, pending the counsel of his
colleagues, pointed out the difference between
Holyrood Park, which is outside the precincts of
Edinburgh, and the London parks, which are in
the area of London; and that it had been the
custom to hold political meetings in the former
and not in the latter; that the precautions which
the working classes proposed to take grow ed the
danger of such meetings; and that if the Go-
vernment declined to permit the parks to be
used for this purposed the meeting could be held
on Primrose Hill; while he took care to assert
that the Government had no desire to attempt
to curb the right of the working classes to meet
and discuss their grievances.

Our readers wasee the decision to which the
Government have come. No one can be sur-
prised at it, and on the whole it is not perhaps to
be regretted. But turning away forthe moment
from this particular meeting, and looking at the
subject generally, may we ask what good pur-
pose can be served by these monster meetings?
Let us look 'at the matter fairly without any
political bias as far as it is possible to regard so
strictly political a question without party feeling.
We hold the right of public meeting to be one of
the most deservedly cherished rights that this
country possesses. A sad day will it be for Eng-
land, should that flay ever come, when this right
shall be denied, for that will infallibly be a day
of revolution, lint no one dreams of such a
denial yet. The working classes, like any other
class, has a perfect right to meet and express
their wants and urge their claims. But the
Trades' Reform Demonstration is something
more than a public meeting. It is not in fact if
meeting at all in the ordinary sense of the term.
Nothing of the kind is indeed intended. It is
a "demonstration,' and that demonstration is
one of numbers; it is a display of physical force,
a great aggregate assemblage of trades, intended
by its very vastness to overawe the ministry, and
force from them a measure of Reform beyond
what they would others ise give. Looked at
even in this light we are willing to allow that the
Government have no right to forbid such a meet-
ing ; nor, indeed, do they forbid it, the only diffi-
culty being one of place, not of right. But
what we insist on is that, so far as the right of
public meeting—of the expression of opinion--
is concerned, such a demonstration as this is fu-
tile. An enormous gathering of men cannot be
addressed as a meeting; they have to be;divided
into subordinate meetings and addressed sepa-
rately; there is no discussion possible; and the
passing of resolutions is little better than a
farce. Everything, in fact, that such a gather-
ing can do, except the mere dimple, of lumen.
cal foree,ean be far Wier dos* in -
lie meetings in the various distrietexn=
Kingdom. A succession of snob meetings ought
to be regarded as more valuable, more real and
true in their signification, than the mere organi•
sation of an enormous mass, We think that by
this latter mode of action the working men lose
caste and influence; each one loses his individn•
ality in a mass. An ordinary meeting, properly
regulated, after our good old English fashion, is
something to be proud of, as distinguishing us
from nations where not more than 20 persons
can meet without Government sanction; but a
mere aggregate of trade societies, to display the
physical force of numbers, is rather something
to be ashamed of. It pleases body before mind,
II and raises the trick of agitation above the ex-
pression of public opinion.

THE REFORM DEMONSTRATION,
The long expected London Trades' Reform
Holiday has passed over without any rioting or
disorder beyond the necessary confusion incident
to such a vast body of men 'mused to military
precision, and merely marshalled by men ch4sen
from themselves, meeting together and proceed.
lug to a common rendezvous. As usual, there
are discordant catimatea as to the numbers who
attended this demonstration ; some state- it as
low as 50,000, others place it as high as 14)0(400;
but all agree that a vast assemblage met to pro-
test against the working classes being excluded
from electoral power, and to call on Government
to introduce, and Parliament to pass a large
measure of Reform. Exaggerated statements
are also made and conclusions drawn from this
demonstration. On the one hand, we do not
consider it jnst to speak of this vast gathering
as a mere mob met to display physical force, and
overcome the Government; nor, on the other
hand, do we consider it right to put down all as
Reformers who added to the thing. The de-
'impetration was, in our opinion, neither so
grand nor so insignificant as a political display
as mere party politicians would make it out.
But making all allowances for party exaggera-
tion or depreciation, the fact remains that an
immense body of men met to demand Reform;
that they assembled quietly; that in the contin-
uer's drenching rain they held on their way,
marching through mud and water to the rendez-
vous; and that here they listened peaceably to
I "smite' of the usual character,
' Looldag at the whole matter fairly, we consi•
der that it woo really, great demonstration in
faronr of Reform, and that it ansaifeated a strong
desire on the part of the working mow for the
, one object that called them together. The HA-
I form League as was said of the Anti-Corn Law
League, is a great fact; it is too great to be ex-
plained away, and too great, on the other hand,
to need exaggeration.
What, then, is to be the result of all this? Is
this demonstration, added to those in so many
of the great towns, to go for nothing? No; it