The Sun.
London, England, 1839-05-07 00:00:00

EVIENING EDITIO)E._

of i!epenin4 them oi the eolifl fence of the country, and
thereby deprive the people hereafter of the benefit of
their advice, when it would be necessary for them to be
assisted with the councils of all who could direct them
in the attainment of their object.—(Hear, bear.) If
they were to adopt it, their enemies would say that in
p,oportion as they were nearing the danger the more
they became afraid—a thing he would not give counte-
nance to by his conduct on this occasion. He was, if
he did not misunderstand himself, coming speedily to the
opinion that every man should be armed.—(Great
cheering.) When the Government allowed the gen•
tlemen--gentlemen forsooth I—of Monmouth not only
to use arms for the protection of their property
but were also about supplying them with arms, he
thought it was high time that the people should have
their arms.—(Great cheering.) He could not see why
the poor should not arm to protect their rights as well
as the rich.—(Continued cheering.) And he as an in-
dividual of that Convention, advised the people to arm,
neither in private, or with stealth, but openly for their
defence. For was it not time they should do so when
they saw a blood-thirsty Government putting arms in
the hands of the people's enemies, arms purchased with
taxes produced from the people's earnings, for the pur-
pose of still keeping them under the infliction of bar-
barous and unconstitutional laws. ? (Tremendous
cheers.) Let them but dare to prevent the people
from expressing their wants by public meetings, and
confident was he that there would not be a factory in
the land that would not be burned to the ground.—
(Hear.) What, arm the gentry for the protection of
life and property ! They were the only enemies of life
and property, he was prepared to prove. The system
which gave them birth as men of property, and by which
they managed to live at the expense of the people,
costs the poor of this country no less a sacrifice than
one thousand lives a day—and has cost them in money,
up to this time, two hundred millions.—(Hear, hear.)
Yes, this is property, but how is it obtained ? It is
obtained at the expense of the blood, the sweat, the
toil, the money, nay, the very life itself of the poor—and
this is the property which the Whig Government has
put arms into the hands of its owners to protectl—
(Cheering.) He would ever exert himself to prevent the
dignity of this Convention from being contemned—
which might be the case if this address were passed.
After a few more remarks, Mr. O'BRIEN concluded
by proposing an amendment, " that a Committee be ap-
pointed to prepare an Address to the people of England
at this momentous crisis."
Mr. O'CONNOR seconded the appointment of a Com-
mittee.
Mr. VINCENT supported Mr. O'Brien's amendment.

I He hoped that any address that might be pre-
{ pared would not tend to induce the people to
I give up the right to arm. Mr. Vincent went on
F at some length to show that were it not for the in-
terference of the Convention to soothe the irritation
caused by the conduct of the Tories and taskmasters,
' there would now be very little property left for them to
i
, protect. And, in conclusion, he called on them to
cease their party squabblings, and act together for the
I
I people.
Mr. SANKEY said he would not have spoken upon
this subject; but he had the courage to protest against
l the language of Mr. O'Brien and Mr. Vincent. He
, 'lr. Sankey) h- id never given up the Constitutional
...,
rights of Britons, but he protested against . this assem-
! lay, as a deliberative assembly, to entertain this ques-
tion. We, as a Convention, had no right to call upon
the people to arm—it would be illegal—and, further,
1 he would question the position of the people at present.
1 He was always against the principle of a minority le
gislatisg to Oppress the other class—whether it were
, the minority of a Democracy or an Aristocracy. And
? es the signuures of the petition at present stood, it
Icould not be taken as representing the majority of the
I psope. The people of Scotland were too calm, too
patient, and too humane, to peril this cause upon
I bloodshed.
Mr. RICHARDSON addressed some remarks to the
meeting as to the people's right to arm. •
Dr. FLETCHER would not isive way to the excitement
which had been complained of. He had been thinking
and speaking too long on the people's right to possess
arms to be excited at this crisis. Mr. Richardson had
intimated that the present circumstances proved the
necessity of a resolution he had some time ago moved,
to take legal advice on the right to arm. If any injury
had been done by the loss of that resolution he was re-
; sponsible, having moved the amendment of the un-
doubted right of the people to possess arms. He was
not sorry he had done so. He thought our position
would now be worse if we had the qualifications and
mystificatiens of a quibbling lawyer of this great con-
stitution_l right. He would L.& his stand on the
Constitution, not refusing to pay so much attention to
the Acts of Parliament which touched on this part of
the Constitution, as that manly prudence which was an
ingredient of true courage might dictate. He was well
aware that if the people should go armed to public
meetirqsthey would only expose themselves to slaughter.
He would therefore join in advising them not to do this,
but he sisould consider himself a recreant to the doc-
trines which for six years he had been preaching to them,
if he should subscribe to an address which would by im-
plication throw a doubt on the duty of the people to
possess arms. It was in anticipation of a crisis like this
he had given such advice, and he would not now shrink
from it. It was only a question of expediency at what
point the people should commence resistance to en-
croachments on their rights.
Dr. TAYLOR. thought the safety of the country de-
pended en the arming of the people.
Mr. WODEHOUsE was of opinion that ulterior mea-
sures should be considered immediately, it was in ac-
cordance with this opinion that the people of Notting-
ham, Sutton, and those places, sent him there in place
•of Dr. Wade. In that neighbourhood all were of opi-
nion that they ought to have arms in their hands'. He
was of opinion tbat the people should be armed, in
order that they might be prepared for their enemies.
Mr. POWELL was five weeks determining whether
he should come here or not, but in consequence of its
being the last moment, he obtained the consent of his
wife, and did come, in order that he might assist peace-
fully in obtaining the People's Charter, but if it was
otherwise necessary, he would obtain it at the expense
of this (pointing to his head).—(Hear.) The people
were arming in every part of the country, and why had
they not the right to do so in protection of their wives
and families, as well as the rich had the right to arm in
• defence of their hay-stacks and corn-yards.—(Hear.)
It was the Queen's proclamation that induced him to
take his seat, and now that he had come he would be
found assisting the Convention to the best of his
abilities in obtaining the Charter. He would advise
them to deliberate in the most solemn manner on this
important question.—(Hear, bear.)
1 ' Dr. M‘Douai.i. did not wish that partial riots should
take place ; but when it is not known what next may
take place—for it is possible that the Constitution may
be suspended in this country as well as it-was in Ireland
• —(Hear, hear)—if we see the same thing enacted in
this country that this Government had enacted for Ire-
land—if we see the poor cottager, for having a light in
his window after dark, exposed to the galling fire of the
Midnight hired assassin of the Government, it might be
possible that, as was expressed by the gentleman who
, spoke a while since, the same scene as at Moscow
might be enacted in this country. He, therefore, im-
pressed on them the necessity bf coming to a decided
opinion on this subject. It was necessary that they
should be prompt and decisive, as the state of the coun-
try was now becoming so very excited from the goadings
of their enemies, that not a moment could be depended
on. In Ashton, on Saturday night, the place was filled
with police and special constables ; and the meeting
which was held there on that • night was every moment
anticipated to be put down by the military, who were
expected every moment.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. DONALDSON thought they ought to test the
middle classes further before they should give so much
a time to this talking of arming, although if it came to
that there was not in Birmingham a mark who would
I . _

not start forth armed at two minutes'
But still he was of opinion that there were many cir-
cumstances which would induce them to join them in
the struggle.
Mr. BROWN, one of the new Delegates from Bir-
mingham, made a clever and spirit-stirring speech in
favour of the working classes being armed as well as
the rich. He was repeatedly cheered in the course of

his address, and in conclusion said, that the men of
Birmingham were ready as one man to stand forth as a
wall of brass in defence of the Convention, and of their
principles.

Mr. BURNS thought they ought to treat this questiori
with more of the head and less of passion.—(Hear,_)
H' would leave the people who have property without
property, and then it would be for them to defend wlkait

they had left if it was worth defending. It was lais
opinion always that when things came to that th.e:y
should " Moscow it" and take every means to destroy
property and save life.—( Hear, hear.) There was MD
Use in going on to arm the people when they had this
power of obtaining these ends by taking from the pro -
perty-owners that which induced them to;arm..
Mr. WHITTLE said Mr. O'Brien, io/ailusionto to.
ports that certain portions of they have be et i
training and drilling, and that the're is danger of th,eLr
eetning in collision with the_-armed authorities, has
used the expression, that if we advised them simply
against such practises, it might be supposed that "Ivt:
who had been encouraging them, and lead;ng them fo r.•
wand, were • preparing, as the danger approached, t o
desert.t them." Mr. O'Brien may plead on his own be•-
; if and perhaps on b'ehalf of others, that he and they-
nave ilen encouraging the people, and leading them: ]
say it
for 1. art to acts of violent,,, but he has no right ter
:-
, on behalf
disclaimed suchwithin the
and always advised the, 1
the law. Some of the people'
6ve acted hol,tBhrei:encouraging and leading forward,..
4 Mr.
hese people, v,jl,-, says has been shown them,.
tchominitted themselves. 7'
- : which expose .°
ictors, are alrea-ly hetrayeedn'tLyt tq the death r‘
every man
iges having given them
g forward. and now stands praleoufagement,
golf'eprreOvlnn,rl -- '
raging them to violence,
instead
.

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