The Express.
London, England, 1863-03-27 00:00:00

than that. It is a question of a whole continent, with its
teeming millions, and of what shall be their present and
their future fate. (Loud sheen.) It is for these millions,
and among them, a question of freedom or slavery, of edu-
cation or ignorance, of light or &Awes, of Cluiettan
morality, ever widening and all-blessiag in its influence,
or an overshadowing and all-liasting guilt. (Cheers.) The
South until lately was always hostile to England, because
England was always hostile to slavery—(therm)—sad now
the highest hops of the insurrection la, as it has been from
the beginning, that Englishmen would not have fortitude to
bear the calamity which it has brought upon um, but that by
some trick or accident we might be brought into war with
the North and thereby give strength to the
South. (Hear.) I should hope that the question is
now so plain that few Englishmen can misunderstand
it—least of all the 6,000,000 of men in the United Kingdom
who are not enfranchised in this country. (Loud cheers.)
Least of all do I think that they can longer have any
doubt upon this question. Their instincts are always in the
main right ; and if they get at facts—if they get the in.
formation—l can rely upon their influence being put into
the right scale. I wish I could say what would be as sa-
tisfactory to myself with regard to some others. There
may be men—it is said that there are men—
sitting among your legislators who will build and
equip corsair ships to prey upon the commerce of a friendly
power—(shame, shame)—men who will disregard the laws
and the honour of their country, who will trample upon the
proclamation of their sovereign, and for the sake of the
glittering profit which sometimes waits upon crime are
content to cover themselves io everlasting infamy. (Loud
cries of "Bravo." and geooral cheerios.) There may be men—
there
are such men—in this City of London, who will buy in
the slaveholders' loan—(shame)—and who for the chance of
more gain than honest dealing will afford them will directly
help a conspiracy whose fundamental institution—whose
" cornerstone" is declared to be a felony and infamous by
the statutes of their country. (Loud cheers.) I speak not
to those men ; Heave them to their consciences in that
hour which cometh to all of us, when conscience speaks,
and the soul is no longer deaf to her soice. (Hear, hear.)
I speak to you, the working moan of London, the representa-
tives, as you ore tonight, of the feelings and interests of
millions who cannot hear my voice. I wish you
to be true to yourselves. (Hear, hear.) Dynas-
ties may fail—aristocracies may perish—feudalism
end privilege mar vanish into the dim part, but you and
your children and vour children's children will remain, and
from you the English people will be continued to long rue-
ceedieg generations. (Cheers.) lou wish for freedom here
in this country. (Hear, hear.) You wish it for yourselves.
(t_lheere.) You strive for it in many ways. (Hear, bear.)
Do not then give the hand of friendship and fellowship to the
worst foes of freedom that the world has ever seen. ("Hear,
hear," and cheers.) Do not, I beseech you, bring down scone
on your own cause which no future penitence can ever lift
from you. (Loud cheering.) No; you will not do this.
(Cries of "Never.") I have faith in you. Impartial his.
ton will tell that when your statesmen were hostile or
coldly ventral—when many of your rich men were corrupt—
when your press, which ought to have iostructed and de-
fended, has been mainly written to betray— the fate of the
continent and of its vast populations being imperilled—you
clung to freedom with an unfaltering trust that God in his
mercy will yet make it the heritage of all his children. (The
speaker resumed his seat amid the most enthusiastic
cheering.)
Mr. Greece bricklayer, proposed the following
resolution:—"'That the attempt of the American slave-
owners to break up the Union, in which their liberties and
constitutional rights had never been interfered with, is de-
structive of the brat principles of political society, and that
this meeting regards with indignation the conduct of those
public men, capitalists and journalists, in this country who
have &netted the cause of the Confederates; and further,
that the government of this country, in permitting the pirate
ship Alabama to leave Liverpool, was guilty of negligence,
and has failed in its duty to a friendly nation."
Mr. ODGERS, a shoemaker sod secretary of the London
Trades Council, seconded the resolution.
Mr. MAIITZ, a compositor, supported the resolution.
He said the working men of London had a decided feeling
on thin question. ho other questions there misfit mime.
ably be a difference of opinion, but on that of slavery there
ought to be no difference, and the meeting ought to protest
against any recognition of a slave-holding State. It would
Ice a &modal on public morality and honesty if such a State
were recognised by this country.
The resolution was put and carried amid great cheering.
Mr. W. R. CILEMF:R, a joiner, moved the next resolution,
vie.:—" That we altogether repudiate the statements that
the war now raging in America is the result of republican
or democratic institutions, but rather do we believe that
the li oerty arcing out of such institutions has made it im-
mwsible for slavery longer to exist there ; and we further
believe that, should the South be auccessful in setting up a
government founded on human slavery, to recognise such a
government would be to take a step backwards in civilisa-
tion, and we declare that we will use our utmost efforts to
prevent the recognition of any government founded on such
a mor.strous iniquity. And wo hereby tender our thanks to
the President. government, and people of the Northern
States for the firmness they have displayed, and the
sac.rinces they have made to restore the Union, and to
consolidate the liberty of the republic; and as the cause
of lohour and liberty is one all over the world, we bid
them 'God speed' in their glorious work of emancipation."
Professor BEES:.P.T, in seconding the resolution, dwelt on
the interest which working men in England had in the issue
now being fought in America. Much of the support now
given to the South by the Tory aristocracy of this country
was, he observed, owing to their fear of the working claims.
(Cheers.) Such gathering" as that would have a good effect
both in Arnelaa and iu the Haase of Commons. In the
former it would do much to remedy the mischief caused by
English newspaper. Let working men show that the
masses in this country sympathised with the North. Mr.
Buxton was not with them, the more shame for him
—(cheers)—and as to the Bishop of Oxford, they would
rather be without him— (laughter)— bat, nevertheless,
let them declare that they would not have pirate ships
fitted out in Liverpool. (Cheers.) He hailed that meeting
as a proof that the trades unions were alive to their own
interests in this great question.
Mr. CONOt mason supported the resolution. It
was, he remarked, admitted the other day by the Tiara'
vorreApondent at New York—that poet who had prosti-
tuted his glorious genius for gain—(theme)—that slavery
was the real cause of the war. On which side, then, were
their interests and sympathies—on the side of the
Nontsur of the South ° (Loualexclamotio.nf .• The North.")
The question now to be decided was whether the resources
of North America were to be developed by slave labour or
by free labour— (hear, bear)—and hence working meu in
General bad a direct interest in the solution of it. Not-
withstanding the opinion of Earl Russell, he believed the
success of the South would be the greatest calamity that
could befall humanity. (Cheers.) Let that meeting tell
President Lincoln never to make peace without the titan,-
tMn of slavery. (Cheers.)
The resolution was then put and carried.
Mr. Pesneeimix moved; the following address to Mr.
Lincoln :

"TO ABRAHAM LINCOLN, PR emnEsr OF THE ONITE9 STATES
OP AN IHICA. _ .

" Honoured Sir,— A portion of the Brit lab press, led by
the infamous Timis-(fresh cheering)—an arrogant Jana°. •
entry, and some of the mooted claims of this country.
having misrepresented the wishes and feelings of its people
with regard to the lamentablacontest between two portions
of the meet republic, of which you ore the legal and con- '
stitctional chief, we, the Tlll,lOl Unionists and working
men of London, in public meeting assembled, desire to
assure you and the people of the Northern and loyal states
of America that our earnest and heartfelt sympathies are with
you in the arduous struggle you or maiutaining in the muse
of human freedom. We indignantly protest against the as-
sertion that the people of England wish for the success of the
Southern States in their diabolical attempt to establish a
separate government oo the basis of human slavery. How-
ever much a liberty-hating aristocracy and an macru-
pulous romeyocracy may desire the consummation of such a
crime, we. the working men of London, view it with abhor-
rence. We know that slavery in America must have an
indirect but real tendency to degrade and depress labour in
this countty also, and for this, if for no higher reason. we
' should refuse our sympathy to this infamous rebellion. The
history of our ram has been the story of a long motioned
struggle for freedom; and we prize too highly the
liberties bequeathed us by our fathers to de-
recrate their memories by descending to associate
with the oonspirators who seek to sink the producers of
human seminaries and human wealth into soulless
beasts. Though we have felt proud of our country, of the
freedom woo for its children, by the sacrifices and the blood