The Express.
London, England, 1850-11-30 00:00:00

£22,912 S 9

The CHAIRMAN then again rose and said—Gestlessen .
The report which the directors have prepared is so clear and
coooise, and at the same time so explenstory of all their
movements sad proceedings, that very little will be required
on say pars or indeed on the part of any of yier dirernon to
elucidate it farther. Should, however, any further ezpleaa-
non be desirable, the directors will be ready and anxious to
afford it during the meeting. (Hear, bear.) Bat I should
not do justice to you, and 1 am sue I sticuld nut do justice
to my own feelings, were I not h re to make one remark,
iamb-rum to the labours of the gentlemen who hive formed
the executive enemies* of the 'sweetie°. (Hear, hear.)
As a moo of Meets", I have had some expetienee
here and elsewhere in observing the conduct of businese men
sad probably I may be considered somewhat capable of
asking • right estimate of them. (Hear.) Now, in my
experience, 1 can safely say I have never yet seen or met
with any body of directors who have been so earnest, or at all
eveire more earnest, more zealous, or more iodefatigable is
your service than the men who sow stand before you.
(Hest.) I make one exception, and that is myself—(cheers,
and cries of " No, no")—and necessary it is I shout t ray so,
bemuse I have not been able to attend so often at the
meetings of your directors es I could have desired. My
duties end my labours called me frequently elsewhere; bat
I usurp you, gentlemen, that the interests of this associa-
tion have at all times bad my best attend in, and my object
has always been to serve them—(bear, bear)—and
I trust that I shall be enabled to devote more
time to them, should I be re-elected, than I could
Is during the past year. (Hear, hear.) It would,
perhspe, be invidious were Ito mention names, or to put
ese before another, when all hays done their best; but I
may le allows i to say this, that if an estate is to be bought
ter business done for the society, 10, 20, 40, or 60 miles away,
tiee moment the newwity arises oar excellent solicitor, to
intim we are deeply indebted, as well as to oar secretary,
so matter what the distance whirs they are wanted,
et whatever business of their own may require their atten-
dee, they put on their hats, and go at once to
Mead to your intrests. Those gentlemen have always
amid In your affair. with more, or at least as muco,
mei es they Gould have dore in their own.
I like this movement for the change it makes in the habits
and thourhts of the once heedless and unthrifty anima. It
essehes him the value of stow y. It 'nettles him to measure
the worth of his labour. It pats • worthy and stimulating
object before him. It holds oat a twofold pre@ at the end of
his course—the freehold of an Englishman and the (Tenet ice
of a Briton. It weans him in the mesa ties from evil ways
and pernicious indulgences—and when he gets his title deeds,
he is not snip a freeholder 'and a voter, but has • freehold
is his min, worth them 'both. I like this movement for
its truly conservative tendescy. The very beat of all ways
ter make a man respect the property of hie neighbours is to
iodate him to ob:ain some property for himself. The
wise mater, if he wish to secure the beet services of
a wised assistant, Rim him an interest in the con-
gers On this well-keown principle, the strongest link
so Mid • man to his native soil is to give him or lead him to
Se stiertion of it for himself. (Cheers) Do you think if
smith- a of anima, were frietaggelkee tae need fear scything
from invesios ? %Cries of " No," and Owen.) Do you not
think that ea army of freeholders would be colts as gond a
maf. geed as • standing army or the Channel fleet:
(C eeeee .) It is not because I think the franchise
should he res elated to the posewsion of • freehold that
I am (securable to this movement, but because I ben- ve
it will lead to the recognition of the dairies that the debt Is
is the man and not in the soil. With these very im-
perfect observatims—but observations which I felt bound
se make, is order to explain the reasons why I have takes
an tersest sad active part is this Freehold Land Movement—
I
have tomer. the adoptioa of the report which leas been reed
se you, and that me.ios will be seettaded by my hon. tread.
Mr. Cub Jes. (Loud chests)
Hr. COBDEN then rose, and was welcomed with repeated
volleys of cheers. He said—Gentlemen, during my ealliellf•
11441 vaporiser, I think I have witnessed somewhere about
half • dozen panies—and these have always bees preceded
by • season of boisterous peosperity--ead I oosfees, when I
hear from week to week, during my petiolesl date to the
Freenold Land Society, where 1 always make • point of
, attending to my duty when I am is town—(bear, hear)—l
'sok myself fl the prosperity I hew so mash about is real or
lis it &tithes ? I ask myself freqaently, in 'regard to
Ithis Society, bow is it ,that there Is such an obvious ed
vantage gained by the 'bar. holden in sue\ • society which
easecit he waited by individuals without j,ialag in such •
moiety) I ask myself, how is it that such • society an
Mae a profit by transactions in land which is ant seed-
peed or obtained by individuals, seeing that in a general
way individuals will eery on any business better and more
sescessfully than • company can dot (Hear.) It appears
to me, teedes the advantages which the shareholders of a
society like this have is parches's' lead atthewholesale pries
in retool irteatitin. there Is an advantage la • 'misty going
Cato the market for land which an individual epee have—
the society he its customer reedy before they go into the
IMAM to bay, while the Individual, after be law ruralised,
mast lad his eastosser. That, it appears to use, is the res.
sea why is this ease individual enterprise deft sot super-
sede the worsen, of • land society. (Hear.) I have asked,
too, godlier' endeavoured to lad out, what he bora the
value of the allotments white have been take, by the
'embers of our society, sad I have bees toed that they
always beer a premium from the very neemeat eftheir beteg
tab up—that they bear a premium of 1, 10, sad is
es* Me even as much se 60 per one. upon
the oast of the allotment. And when I am told
this I ask myself again—is not this fictitious; Is it not •
mere spertalation; and shall we not be shortly, like the rail-
read *armies and other nth undertakings—shall we not
find es/selves sent year Is the midst of • resisted in • I
state of collapse? (Hear.) There is one encouraging err-
easestance, however, that satisfies my mind, and it is this :
I find the allotments have been bought at • premium by
living on the spot where they are. (Hear,
raerbils I delight in swing reel property divided in
this eoestry, for I think it a great and crying evil
that the landed peppery in this emery has acts-
mutated in such rearm as it has (Hear, bear.) Bat
we are told that all thew little allotments we are 'asking
will be pieced together again—("oh I" and laughter)—that
semebody will buy them all, and piece them together again.
Well, I think if they were all allotted to the men in one
rgiment, or to the boys in en school, when s cunning
lawyer might go and Bad them all readily, under the Mae
eireumetaneee, and all should be ',Miele to sell, they might
yousibly be so pieced together ; but I doubt even then whe-
ther the operation would be a profitable one; for when amen
geese allotment, if hewn at all, it will be at the retail prim,
endue at what he 'stator it. (Cheers) And the cunning
lawyer, whoever he might be, who might desire to piece
the estates together, would have to pay very likely tar more
than they were wortb, and that I think would always be a
esdelent guarantee 'geese his doing en. (Cheers.) It is
me objection, in my mind, that we find these small states
peuithased through this society changing hands. (Cheers)
I dsseteat• about that if the party to wheat the estate is
AMON conveys it to &soder at a premium, fee it still
esembeadistinet estate. (Hear, leer.) What I ware to
sea Y tie sealtipliestion of small estates. There has for •
Wert hems • sort of saperstition In this :poinal se.2 on the
It mans to be thought that the es of a
pef freehold land le too good a thing fee
eople generally, end sea oily be enjoyed by
NM lbw. I wish it were la as it is is some plates as
Ihreelelittent which I have:. where you meet MU
fir wisdom doom otsfrodwisk My mho around, alt Wadi*