The National Register.
London, England, 1817-08-25 00:00:00

Oationa

POLITICAL DISQU ISITION.

ON THE CONDUCT CF THE IZEFORNIERS.

" I have been an eye-witness of seeing many things touching these
kind of imolences; -which to deliver, woull require a large dis-
ourse."—SPANtsit ROGUE.

MR. OWEN has this week given the political mouthers
another opportunity of sheaving themselves forth before
the town, by holding an adjourned meeting at the Lon-
don Tavern. if we had beta among the number of this
I,,entleman's supporters, (which we are proud to say
we are not,) we would have advised him against
adopting the line of conduct which he has pur-
sued, in calling public meetings, where, as might be
expected, all the sticklers for Parliamentary Reform
thrust themselves into the company of their betters.
Owen has taken credit to himself for having
gone unsupported to the first meeting, because he
" was anxious to discover the real tendency of the pub-
lic mind, when left unfettered by the influence of name
and authority." But he would have done well to re-
member, that, however anxious he might be to have
an unbiassed expression of public feeling, there are
certain persons who, with an abundance of wordy cou-
rage, will take care that no party but their own shall
be heard. Wherever they are the majority, they, by
hisses and groans, render their opponents inaudible,
and this they call freedom of discussion ! and wherever
they are the weaker party in number, they contrive,
by some outrageous violation of decorum, to produce
a ferment which, being once excited, is not easily
allayed. Thns they accomplish a two-fold object—
they keep their own names alive before the public,
which, but for schemes like this would perish, and
they ball:, and sometimes defeat, every attempt which
is made to alleviate the sufferings of the people. For,
as these sufferings are the texts on which they read
such learned comments, to relieve them would be to
ruin their trade. These arc the motives, which, ope-
rating with my Lord Cochrane, drew him to the Lon-
don Tavern, in August last, where he succeeded to
his heart's content in producing a tumult, and, what
was of still more consequence to him, in keeping up
his name with the mob. These are the motives also
which drew Messrs. Hunt and Cartwright, and an
hundred more of. the same school, to the London Ta-
vern, on Mr. Owen's meetings.

To attend a public meeting, called for a specific pur-
pose, and to annoy and agitate it by the introduction
of matters irrelevant to the question in hand, is, with
these gentlemen, a mighty good joke. They tell us,
to be sure, with a wonderful affectation of candour.
" That it is impossible to introduce the mention of
public distress without glancing at the cause ;" and
that " they regret that there should be any asperity of
political feeling." The impudent canters ! Did nut
Major Torrens, at Mr. Owen's first meting, enter fully
upon the question under consideration, without ever
" glancing" at the cause of public distress? and on
whose side has been the asperity of political feAtling?—
ILus it not been solely on their own ? Did not Mr. Hunt,
whose conduct, at all times, is of the most outrageous
character, attempt, at the first meeting, to brow-beat
the Chairman, and frighten him from his scat ? and
he would have succeeded, too, but that his vulgar and
cowardly spirit stood rebuked under the manly conduct
or the Chain-min.

But in pursuing this plan, these men have a greater
object in view. To baffle the efforts of the well-dis-
posed, anti keep their own n.mes alive, are but the
stemdary means which they use to give e&et to their
projected schemes. By the wislota and vigour of the
government, an end has been put, tor a time, to those
assemblies where the pestiferous doctrines of a Hunt
and a ('obbett were disseminated ; they ore, thorefore,
compAed to resort to more covert toms; owl meet,

Our %ling, Don

MONDAY, Al