The Express.
London, England, 1849-03-06 00:00:00

FINANCIAL REFORM.

Last evening a public meeting of the inhabitants of
Bayswater and Nottnesi-Mll, convened by the committee of
the Metropolitan Finencial Reform Asemiation, was held at
the Prince Albert Tavern, Mr. Dastard was
voted to the chair..

The CHAIRMAN said, in reference to the majority
against Mr. Cobden's motion for financial reform, that no
leis than 356 of the members were directly or indirectly in-
terested in the maintenance of our war establishments, and
the remaining 300 interested in the continuance of the
plunder which was carried on in the name of the church.
(Hear.) In the list of those numbers who voted with the
ntstinrity ermines Mr. Cobden's motion, were the names of
Sir Ds Lacy Evans aid Mr. Wakley. (Laughter.) Now
these gentlemen, and many more who were in the majority
and whom he could name, ware hitherto believed to be
friends of the people and friends of reform; but now they
had proved themselves to be the contrary, it was to he hoped
that their constituents would bring them to an account for
their conduct, and insist upon tteir resigning into better
hands the trust that had been plated in theirs. (Chairs)
He then submitted to the meeting the following resolution:
That the thanks of the Notdng-bill Financial 'Worm Aremeiation
are Justly due, and are hereby glren, to Mr. Cobden, and the smutty-
eigbt members of the Meuse of Commons who supported him in his
endeavours to races the country from the ruin to which It is being
kneed by suer:moire augmentations of our warlike and police esta-
biiskments, and the ennenenus inereme of tame and place-holders.
W. MACFARLANE, Esq , seconded this resolution.
Mr. SMILE Gl:served on tee necessity for an satire and
absolute parliamentary as well as financial reform. There
were many men engaged in commerce who would rise and
clamour for financial reform because they would derive per-
sonal benefit from it; bet financial reform, unaccompanied
by a reform in the parliamentary representation of the people,
was not exactly what true reformers wanted. He hoped that
those who heard him had real the articles which had ap-
peared in the Express upon the representative system,
and if they had, they would be aware of the awful extent to
which corruption and bribery were carried. They would
kfoow low the representatives of St. Alban's, Mahlon, Har-
wich, and other similar boroughs, procured their mats. The
man who went with the most money to spend was sure to be
returned. The people of England were politically educated,
and why, he would ask, were they denied that which had been
accorded to the people of France? Votes there could not be
bought. Mr. Hums said that the only means of putting an
end to bribery was the extension of the franchise, and all
right thinking men would say that that doctrine was a true
one. (Cheers.) The chief characteristics of our system of
representation were degrading, sad was this to oust in
England whilst the rest of Europe was bravely and manfully
rising into moral existence? (Chests.) Give them the ballot
—they would ask no more. What else they wanted they
could then get without asking. The ballot would be the
wicket gate by which they would eater, and then they
would open the mighty portals themselves. The speaker
then urged the benefits that would accrue from a kind of
" Anti-Bribery Society," the object of which should be
prosecute electors who were red to have sold their votes.
The suggestion gave great
Several other gentlemen addressed the nteetine. The
motion was unanimously carried, and a petition to parlia-
ment for financial reform, to be presented by Mr. B. Osborne,
was unanimously adopted. The meeting then adjourned.