The Express.
London, England, 1848-01-28 00:00:00


they us the heeds of ties Lim
eseashseerles seablieltsessts to WS •
Tissue see istampe. lass ape hemearebis

anew, mad-Oblintss, ono
name he• paned se a talker; theesibeat
EasiaaL (Cheers.) Their la* thaaghta
don of free trade bays beim htearperated
is ea literature—et this *matey, aad
to aid in the diemaiaatfon et •

of potiticni seisms in the " Anti-Osrn-i
(Appleton) Than are great political lee
who have agitated and ezhearted the .
Aatiellent Law League Ina established,
beide majorities urged their opinions,
wen Wham little respect wee paid t!
waded dffiltly from the first day to in
poomonUms thh evening who, saes he la.,
thisienhisollinthis hall, has been received as the a.
and kommod tookoroador of free trade aid peace in
city and pmt In Europe. (Loud cheers.) But
they are, one mad all, and take them for all in all, " nothing
extenuate, net .aught set down in malice," I do not
Wise* that is the h Mary of meetings eye ever rested upon
a platform whist sontalsod an smonnbLp of persona who
had public eciaMeasee es such an extent ae these present at
this meeting. (Applause.) Gentlemen, it is not to be ex-
pected a meeting like this, where betwixt two and three
thousand persons are present, and every pulsation of which
will be felt throughout the land, will pus off without
allusion to those principles which have been successfully
serried into practice is this country. And although.
no doubt. some of the speakers who will follow will
better discuss the subject than I can, you will permit me to
esogratulete you upon the improved tone of some of our
= Ti.nts when speaking of our opinions gal), the last
(Hear, hear.) Why, we find that those *nei-
ghs. eqpnwied so often in this hall, weregenerally believed
may, sontrally admitted and adopted, by very many who
peesented theinaelves for re-election. (Applause.) The
woes' of the free-trade tariff of Sir Robert Peel was ad-
mitted by almost every one, except the mast extreme moto-
r:diem, whose little notes ware scarcely reported in the
public papers. (Hear.) The success of the free trade tariff
of America has been equal to that of Sir Robert Feel in
this country. (Hear.) How rapidly the public opinion
of this country operates upon the intelligent end euligbt-
sued clauses of the continent, may be gathered true the re-
ception of Mr. Cobden wherever ha boa how. (Npplmoon)
It certainly dose appear that oar skt Marla sibs portose
%Waists have nearly left the field ; and 17, Old lioadrtreek
with the whole protectionist premises, appear pretty nee*
to let ; and there is not one of them who proposes, nor hose
we found one of them there, who, since the last election to
the present time, has proposed to the slightest
of farmers—not one of them has proposed the
of the corn laws, which will be dying in VIA (Roar,
hear.) I do not think that they will even doe to
blame Lord John Russell much if be does that which I
think he ought to do—suspend the oorn laws until they
are finally abolished in 1849. (Great applause.) Bat
they will fight us upon the navigation laws. Well, we
will fight them upon the navigation laws ; and, as with the
corn laws, so with the navigation laws, our friends will meet
them, and, with a long pull and a strong pull, we will
defeat them. Then they will tight us on the West India
interests, and our friends will meet them upon that, too—
(applause)—and, defeat them upon that, u upon other
questions. (Cheers.)
The CH&IIIIIAN, after a brief interval, again rote and
said—Ladies and gentlemen, the first toast I have to propose
this evening is "'the Queen : may her reign be long, peace-
ful, prosperous, and happy •." and I propose that we give it
heartily, and with three cheers. (Duly honoured).
ELYANLIL AILKITAGE, Esq., the mayor of Manchester,
then, at the 101 l of the chairman, rote amidst cheers, to pro-
pose the next tout. He said—The country is deeply in-
debted to the gentlemen whose holths I am about to pro-
pose. I will not detain you by attempting to describe in
what manner we are indebted to them. lam lure you
will cordially agree with me , for their works already
accomplished, have convinced every one, as they have con-
vinced me, of their invaluable labours. (Cheers.) I will
give you " The Free Trade Members of both houses of par-
liament: sinew to them in their endeavours to complete
the overthrow of all monopolies." (Loud applause.)
The tout having been duly honoured,

The Right Hon. T. MILNER 0311130 N, M.P., rose to
return thanks. He was received with reiterated cheering.
After the applause had subsided the hon. gentlemen pro-
ceeded. He said, Mr. Chairman and ladies and gentlemen,
as one of the free trade members alluded to an the tout
which has been submitted to you by our worthy mayor, I
beg leave to return my warmest acknowledgments for the
honourable and kind manner in which the toast was given,
and for the reception which it has met with; and in
expressing myself in these words, I feel that on the
part of my colleagues, the other free trade mem-
bers in the House of Commons, I am but stating
to you what, if they were now addressing you, they
would state themselves, that they feel deeply the
kind manner in which the sentiment has been received.
(Hear, hear.) I feel, ladies and gentlemen, not altogether
nee from diffidence in attempting to address so im-
posing an assemblage as is now gathered within
this spacious hall. I ought perhaps to feel some-
thing like the old hunter dog, when he hears the
sound of the born, as on the first tame I had the honour of
addressing a meeting in the Free-trade Hall. (Cheers.) But
I can assure you when I reflect that there are persons here
who, from experience and from reflection, have possessed
themselves with an intimate acquaintance with the im-
portant subjects we have met here to discuss to-night, I can-
not but once more express to you my full. ngs. no 4
however free from tome embarrassment, for which I an
sure I shall receive your indulgence. (Hear, hear.) I have
felt it my duty to be among my constituents to-day,
upon this important oocuion. (Cheery.) I hare
felt it a duty paramount to all other considera-
tions ; for although the Anti-Corn-law League is
now dissolved, and many of its members have been re-
turned to parliament, and in honour of whose return we
have assembled here to-day—l say, though that league has
been dissolved, I can look back with satisfaction to having
been • member of that great intelligent combination of men
—(loud applause)—which, by the force of reason and instruc-
tion, formed the instrument namely, public opinion
—with which the minister of the day was able to
abolish that odious monopoly, the monopoly of corn.
(Applause.) I look back, I say, with pride and satis-
faction at having been a member of that associa-
tion, and to having aided, in whatever humble manner
it was is my power, to aid those efforts ; and still I glory that
those efforts were crowned with success. (Applause.) Ne-
vertheless I cannot but feel that at this moment I am ad-
dressing an assemblage in Manchester daring • time of great
depression of trade—during a time, no doubt, of great
anxiety among many engaged in commercial pursuits, and at
a time when a greet struggle has been passing on, and which
we have not yet entirely escaped hem. (Hear, hear.) But
my allusion to this depression of trade is with a view of
expressing my opinion that the free trade policy his nothing
to do with producing this depression—(Applause)—but that it
would be much greater had not these free-trade measures
been carried. (Loud applause.) It is to be hoped that,
although the present moment is one in which confidence
is much shaken in the commercial world, yet that there are
apparent certain elements upon which we have • right to
calculate in reference to future prosperity. (Hear, hear.)
If I am rightly informed, the stocks of manufactured goods
are moderate. We have • low price of all raw material of
manufacture; and we have, I hope, a prospect of a moderate
price of provisions. We have all these things before us, and
with the restoration of confidence, it is, I trust,
no toe sanguine an expectation for me to ay that
there will be a restoration of prosperity. (Loud applause.)
But let me ask those who impute to free trade policy that
the distress has been caused thereby—that the late distress
has been caused by the adoption of the free trade measures
which have passed through parliament,—let me ask them to
speak in intelligible language, and indicate any one tax, or
any taxes, which, had they not been taken off,
would have prevented the misfortunes which have lately
Urtd b:ein? reitintehdewonpoitte to any
wduotuyld wtzi.acti
tended to mitigate in the least the late dinner.
Is it the repealed duty on cotton, the repealed duty on
wool, or the repealed duty on glue ? And during
• time of famine would it have been wise to retain the duty
upon articles of subsistence ? Let them, I say, point out the
articles upon which the former duties ought to have
been retained. (Hear, hear, hear.) We are accused
also of having advocated a policy which has impaired
the revenue. Can gentlemen who make these assertions
have drawn a comparison between the income of the country
now, and the income of the country before the free-trade
policy: commenced—namely, in 1842—taken in connexion
with the alterations which have been made in the taxation
of the country ? What are the facts ? The income
of the country, as made up to the sth of January,
1842, the last statement which was submitted so
the country under the protective system, amounted to
something like 47,500,0001. The income of the coun-
try, similarly made up to the sth of Jan., 1843, amounted
to the BUM of 44,300,0001. ; and what was done with
the system of taxation in the mean time ? Why, it ie
true you put on an income tax, in 1842, amounting
to 5,500,0001. a year ' • but, on the other hand, you took off
custom and exams duties amounting to upwards of 8,000,000/.
Yoe on 5,500,0001., and you took off 8,000,0001., leaving
a
of reduction to the amount of 2,500,0001.; and
yet you returned in 1843 • rester income by 2,500,0001.
ins In 1842 (Hear, hear.) There can be nothing very
telten in a policy which, by the reduction of duties,
Us immured the revenue of the country ; and let
it be remembered that this policy was commenced in 1842,
dee you had tried the policy of attempting to raise
the income of the country by adding to the custom and
OWN duties. By direct taxation instead of indirect
taxation you will develops the trade and industry
at the country. There is another charge which has
been brought against us with reference to the imports and
exports of the country. It is said that we have imported to
a far greater extent than we have exported. I
reply, so meth the better. It shows that there
is so much the more profit derived from it.
Bat really, when we have been so much abused by the
organs of the protection party—and we have been told that
we are such wretched prophets that we have let out many
expectancies that have ended in disappointment—l cannel
restrain myself on this occasion from saying a few words in
defence of the policy of which I was, and am still, the ar-
dent supporter. Talking of prophets, are we to forget the
propheaes which took place amongsttkie protectionists,ttutt all
the fair lands of England were to be thrown out of cultivation,
that the hest estates would be reduced to rabbit warrens—
be tenanted bywild fowl and grams Are we to forget
them prophecies 1 Do you forget the alarming menace let
out by a noble duke, which menace I related to you when I
bed the honour of sneering before you in the Free-trade
Hall in 1839 I- do; you forget that alarming threat—that
when the torn laws were repealed he for one would leave his
native land nevermore to return--(litagliter)—that if the corn
laws were abolished Ragland would not be worth living in
But let us tengratelatis ourselves that we still have that
noble deka stmonget es, sad that be has set yet left We
who ahem I aodl bops he milling Ave within then hp

disc mercantile sag
s 'sentry. (Clam)
e ambers for Mad-
whose *IF
tugboat the whole el
demists sa the vim
sod iss the opinions--
id hare Ikea brought
the highest Undo
ore-Law Cetesidam."
leaders is
he subject ro» tlis
hod, and who MIL ha
as, and enforced theta
them, and who have
to the Wt. There is
me he last spoke upon
iced as the accredited
de u•d peach in emery
_ cheep.) But ilk:*