The Sun.
London, England, 1837-12-15 00:00:00

MR. O'CONNELL IN BIRMINGIIAM.
(BY EXPRESS.)

Mr. O'CoNNELL paid a visit to Birmingham on Thurs
day (yesterday), on his way to Irefan l ; at the request.
of several influential Reformers in the t.,am, 1:rolong-d
stay a few hours, in order to address the " Men of Bir-
mingham." Although his arrival was totally uncspekt
yet the moment his carriage was recognised at the Sxan
lintel, an immense assemblage cAlected in the Town-h
where it was speedily ascertained he wool-1 address the
p: ogle. A fewminutes before twoo'clock (about half anhour
after his arrival), Mr.O'Connell, accompanied by anumerous
body of gentlemen, entered the Organ Gallery of the Hall,
amidst the most deafening and enthusiastic cheers of the im-
mense multitude. The building at this moment presentel
the most imi.,oiing spectacle we ever recollect to have wit-
tyssse.l—the body of the hall being elo,ely crammed Ly a
dense mass of the working classes, the side .z-tilsnies
o•Tuped principally by ladies. Altogeth-•
r, there could
not be less than 6,000 individt.!s assen,b:,(l to do honour
to this patriotic and distinguished ft inid of his country and
mankind.

When the cheering had somewhat SOl)Aled, JOSHUA
SCHOLFIELD, M.P., eeme forward amidst renewed cheers,

to take the chair. lie said that he was not aware till late
last evening that his distinguished friend on his right was
likely to pass through Wralingham, and con;eque he
di I not know that he was to address them that morning.
But he need not tell thorn that a greater pleasure could
not possibly have been afforded him than en opportunity
of hearing this distinguished and ealightenrd friend of man.
—(Loud applause.) Toms were a few points, he be-
lieved, on which his excellent friend and himself differed
—(Hear)—but it was his high, st pride—his greatest
honour here, and his most fervent hope hereafter, to think
that on some of those points dearest to man he was espe-
cially a fellow-laboarer with his distinguished Friend,....
(Great cheering.) Ile would advert very briefly to a meet-
ing which took place in London a few day: ago, in which
he need not say that they all took a lively interest,
and that was on beha!f of the poor, opprs=e:l, ill-used
Polish nation. To have heard the e!equence or M. O'Con-
nell upon that occasion wooli have excited the deepest
emotions of sympathy in their hearts.—( Hear, hear.) He
has a'so heard him, on a recent occasion, appeal to the
justice and sympathy of the British people in behalf of
another insulted and degraded class of their n 11 nv-creatures
with equal power ancl feeling, and he must say that the
very best friend and advocate of the unhappy negro was to
be found in Daniel O'Co.anll.—(lmmcnse cheering.)
There were particular cases in which the sympthi,s of all
good men were united, and it was not, thee., a matter of
surprise that Lis Hon. Friend should have stood forward
as the friend and protector of those unhappy little beinp,
the Factory Children.—( Hear, hear.) Tacy talked of the
cruelty endured by the Poles--they talked of the cruelty
perpetrated upon the negroes ; the cruelty to the poor in-
rant of six or seven years of age exceeded either of these.
—(Shame, shame.) To think that out of the forms—
no, not the forms, for they were yet scarcely formed—
but that out of the flesh and muscles of th EC poor child-
ren should be picked the interest of that internal debt—
for by what other name could he designate it—a debt,

which neither himself nor those whom he addressed had
any hand in originating—was a de- p, an indeible, a na-
tional disgrace.—(Tremendous cheers.) lf, again, they
looked to Ireland, there Mr. O'Con .el. st od pre-emi-
nently forward as the friend and benefacter of his eauntry.
—(Applause.) What Ireland had bet n, and what Irel teal
then was, they could all judge ; but they tuti,t go a step
ferther, and say that they owed all that had been done for
Ireland to Mr. O'Connell.—(Cheers.) He hid come !
amongst them that day to address them, and to expres
his sentiments on the present state of public affairs. If he
could give hopes, which he confessed he did not possess, it
must be gratifying to all, and to gene more so than to
himself to hear them ; but upon this he (Mr. Seholeficld)
was sure they would ngroe, that all that could be done by
man—all that virtue, and courage, and talent cou!d effect
would lie done by Mr. O'Connell.—(Great cheering.) Ile
believed that his excellent colleague (Me. Attweead) and
himself would never displease them, wuen ileey were found
at the side of Mr. O'Connell fighting the battles of justice
and freedorn.....(Reneyteil cheers.) Theirs was a peaceful
struglo i and tho',:gl; their enemies would wish to drive
them to OP.`. of violence, let thorn still adhere to the course
Marked out by Mr. O'Connell—" Agitate ! agitate! agi-
tate !"—and he had no doubt that before long they would
find justice done to England—to Scotland—and to Ire-
land too.—(Tremendous cheering.)
The Rev. T. M. MACUONNELL came forward to move
the following resolution :—" That the thinks of this meet-
ing are eminently due, and are cordially presented to Da-
niel O'Connell for his general, indefatigable, and powerful
advocacy of the rights of all mankind." It would, said
Mr. Macdonnell, be his duty to endeavour to prove to
them the justleo of this tribute to Mr. O'Connell.—
(Cries from the body of the Hall of " No, we know it.")
But as some gentlemen below him said they were already
aware of this, he hoped they would take Mr. O'Cennelfs
speech on this subject as a part of his ()an, and when thet
part of his speech was finished, be again come for-
ward and propose his resolution.---(Cheering and laughter.)
Mr. O'CONNELL, on. earning forward, was again greeted
with such a hearty and-enthusiastic reeep,ion as we believe
the " Mon of Birminglialt" can alone give full effect to.
When the cheering, whielt lasted a consAeraUe time, had
somewhat subsided, he sail—He did not well know how
they could take his speech as any part of that of lit Rev.
Friend—( Laughter)—beeause he intended to oppose his
motion—(Laughter)—nnd unless their native country
had given them a privilege to speak for and against
a question, they couid not call them one speech.—
(Continued roars of laughter.) Now, he would tell them
why he opposed this motion, and it was this, that he should
deem it an act of the highest presumplion on his part to
imagine of himself that he could say any thing to the intel-
ligent and patriotic men of Birmingham, wl,ich would be
necessary to guide or direct their efforts better than the
excellent men to be found amongst themselves who had so
long guided their councils.—(Cheers.) He had no such
presumption, and he therefore appeared before them that
day, not at lits own instigation, but at the request of others
in whose judgment lie had a higher opinion and a greater
confidence than he had or ought to have in his own. But
now that he was there, his business was to talk to them.—
(Great cheering and laughter.) And the first thing he had
to say to thorn was this, that he owed a deep debt of gra-
titude individually to Birmingham—that Scotland owed a
debt of gratitude to Birmingham—but, above all, that
Ireland owed a debt of the deepest gratitude to the
men of Birmingham, but for whose exertions—and lie
spoke the language- of undoubted truth—the Reform
Bill would never have been passed.—(Hear. hear, and im-
mense cheering.) But that the men of Birmingham met
and debated, and were reselved—( Hear, hear)—but that
bey frowned, and those frowns told their rulers that, like
,e thunder-cloud,
,they would be followed by the light-

nine's flash—(Cheers)----but that they were determined cn
Reform, that Reform Bill would never have been passed.—
Applause.) He remembered it well. Some of the advisers
of the late King told him that the Reform Bill went too
far, and p.srhaps they would like to know that they wished.
Why, that Old Sarum, which boasted of a single tree, and
Old Gatton, which had its mound of earth, should continue
to send representatives to Parliament, but that the popu-
lous, the wealthy, and the intelligent town of Birming-
ham should not be represented--( Laughter and cheei
A most preposterous idea, truly ! but the m n of arming-
ham thought otherwise, and while the question was loised
as it were in a balance, they heard the tramp fi o:n
ming,ham—they heard the sound of coll'ng feet—they
knew that there were brae and determined hearts and
firm hands in Birmingham, and the Reform Bill was car-
ried.—(lmmense cheering.) He thanked the men of Bir-
mingham heartily for what they ha I done, but they owed
the people of England and the people of Ireland more.—
RHear, hear, bear.) They owed them another bit of
eform.—(Great laughter and cheering.) He confessed
that his chances of getting that, depended much upon the
organization, the determination, and the agitation of Bir-
mingham.—(Hear, hear.) But he would tell them this,
they were in the centre—the very heart of England, and it
they wisely, and discreetly, and determinedly rose and agi-
tated again, they would have more reform and more jus-
tice.—(Cheers.) " What !" it might be said by some,
" have you not had Reform enough •e"• No, I thank you,
say I.—(Great laughter.) He admitted that they had
struck off in the former Bill fifty-six rotten boroughs—that
was a good sweep of rascality to get rid of at one blow—
(Laughter)—and that there were one hundred others which
he would not call quite rotten, to whom they had given
a kind of paralytic stroke ; but this th; y had since dis-
covered, instead of doing any service to the p Irty intended
to be benefited—inscad of giving strength and vigour, and
producing a healthy generation—had produced a dwarfish
race of plunderers and p 'culators, who exercised the power
of doing more misitief than before.—( Hear, and cheers.)
Schedule A was a good schedule—it cleared out all the
corruption together ; but schedule B was a bad schedule—
for it left half the vermin alive, and that was not the way to
destroy vermin in any honest house.—(Laughter.) He ac-
knowledged that, apparently at first sight, the Tories had this
advantage over tho.n. They s hid, you told us' the people
of England would get good and cheap govo!nm3nt by the
Reform Bill—you told the men of B:rmingham, who
carried it that tax ition would be diminishe 1, that the pony
man would have more of his own, that he would he beeter
remunerated for his ir.dastry, aid that. the abominable
bread tax would be abolished, He (Mr. O'Cont;e11) ac-
knowledged that they thought s ) at the time, and he be-
lieved the Tories were also of th t opinion ; for what war
their conduct at the time ? Why, that Sir Robert Peel,
who is as fond of penions as any hungry fellow is of a
meal of meat—(Laughter)-..seeing that the height of

ossev es, r-- by
corruption was elem. c mi g to al end \4/I=Ng pee
ormous amount of the pcop:e's m they in ' etstaerfeb
short week.—(Cheers.) Pe s.w that tlf.4l3oticbitOikrifAsi
placed a gulf between him aid po.ver—he el:spired of
ever again coming into office, and determine-1 to watch the
progress of the measure, and if possible resid-r h a nullity,
if he did not present. it doing a,onl. Like the laden Angers,
described by Milton, he and his ploy lay flesindesin;
beneath on the burning pool of Referteh until (m, Ole Peet
went on to dese Pro the Satanic host) rising from the fell
sea in which their enemies had flunti them, Toty4lll
risen again, and made another sttanteel attefilet IA a lee
the dominion of fair England, and make ita people &LOU,
—(lmmense cheering.) The result Of their efforts Weli too
well known. Tee)? bad returned a met irit7 et Represetie
tatives to Parliament for the oodles at the last eieut;ed.
and a large situnhor fur the l''::oughs.—(No, no.) No, ti
wao nut Own, ; the men of Birmistatteearenins;ae
e-- •
..ev to tied boiler stuff ; for two liosesese Lave
titan their worth y It pre.sentatives never drew the hrea'h
of life.—(lmm-nse cheering,) But what had the Tories
dime ? They had used intimid ttion—they had forced
the unwilling electors to vote for them in the
Counties—and is the Boroughs, they had bribed
them. Thus they had been guilty of bribery and intimida-
tien, and last, and worst of all, they had been guilty of he-
pecrisy.—(llear, hear.) They had assailed the naturally
religious feelings of the people of England, and told them—
what ?—why, that it was inconsistent with thei • Christia-
nity that (idlers should have fair play and justice.
( Laughter and cheers.) They sad if they did not pay the
clergyman who:n they nsver saw, and whom they dal not
w tnt, twice as much as the ,minister who laboured for them
(a thing, by the way, which Englishmen did not like)—
that the Church wsuld be pulled down, and religion endan-
esresl.—(G: eat cheering.) For this object, he admitted
thy could rot find fitter instruments than ireitnidation,
bribery, and corruption ; and what was the consequence ?
The people would hive been satisfied with the Reform
Bill; they wou'lliave e..de :veered by its means to work out
good thi ge ; s h y would hay. o ideavoured to lessen taxation,
and give industry a better scope—they would have endea-
voured to rsuisely the unfortunate fluctuations of the
carreney.—(Great cheering.) With the Reform 8.1 l
they might have done all this, but the Tories would not
let them. They intervened—they blotted nut for ever the
Reform B.ll—they had anniailated it—they mad it work
for evil instead of for good.—(lmmense cheering.) They
were still on the watch for the solid poueds and pence, and
what they valued still more, the titles of honour ; and it
was only the other day that they came forward in a bedy
to support the Pension L'st without examination.—( Hear,
bear.) Oa the 16th of November, IB3J, the Duke of
Welltn;ton's Administration was broken up ; and would
they like to know how much of the public money they
squandered aw,,y on that very day in the shape of pensions?
Just 1.000/. per annum for three lives. But this was not
all. On the 20th of November, the dsy which they
actually went out of office, they gave a pension to the
wife of a Member of Parliament of 6601. a year.—(" Shame,
Shame.") ad they understand Tory jobbing now ! In
one week to m..ko away with 1,6601. of the public money.
—(Renewed cries of " Shame, shame!") Oh, what a
number of poor families would th's sum have supported to
the year's end! Ho.v many would it not have saved from
want ; and what numbers of deserving and industrious men
would it not have supplied with a meal of food ! But such
was the character of Toryism. Msn out of office would
have had the decency to consent to an inquiry.—(Cheers.)
With FO many inducements to be honest even from policy
—with so many crying them up, and saying they were tr.
good as the Whigs—they sti'l had not even the t ffeetation
oF doing good.—(Loud cheers.) One would suppose they
would have put themselves in the position described by the
poet in the well-known distich--
e When the &0., was ill,
The desil a milk would be;
When the devil got well,
The devil a monk was he."
(letatighter.) But when they would not eNect theme when
Jut of office, what could be expected ef them when in office,
and when they had the power of plundering the people
again.—(Resiewed cheers.) lie had already said, that the
Tories had prevented tbe Reform Bill from working as it
ought. Now, what ":ere they, the Reformers of England
called upon to do ? Men of Birmingham, the Tories have
spoiled your jeis. Ycu must give them another job which
they shall not spoil.—(lmmense cheering and laughter.)
The real national debt was due to the people. You were
promised all. You got an instalment of it. The Tories
fiched it front you. Therefore, up, Men of Birmingham
and get the rest.—(Loud and continued cheering.) The
ext Reform must be a more sweeping one, or you have not
common sense, or common honesty.—(Renewsd cheers and
laughter.) I would have been satisfied myself with a cmisider-
als extension oF the franchise. I would have bean satis-
fied with household suffrage, but I conf s , now I
tlii. k all England should cal aloud for universal suffrage.—
(Tremendous cheering.) He (Mr. O'Connell) t .ought
t' e Tories had rendered this absolutely necessary, aid he
a . not a bit sorry for it.—(R mewed cheers.) But they
e not secure—their i rapt rties were nat secure—and,
b ;ve all, that most sacred of all property, their I.beer,
was n. t ecurc from the pluni. r :re unless every man had a
vote.— (Enthusiastic cheering.) Let the Tories th n ccme
out wi h their intimhlatioe. Let them come out with their
bribery then. Where, he should like to know, would they
get money to bribe then all ?—( Renewed cheers and laugh-
ter.) The next election, he supposed, they would come
dewn to Birmingham with their hats full of money.—
(Laughter, and cries of "No use here !") So he
thought.—(Clieers.) But they would go to other places,
end continue to bribe anl to corrupt. He wanted, them
the men of Birmingham, to tell the Tories, as they told
them before, that there must be Reform—to tell them that
they had spoiled the first Reform Bill, and that they would
three . nether instalment peacefully and constitutionally,
and that every man must have a vote.—(Great cheering.)
Ile, however, consented that some should be excluded from
the esjovinent of this right. If, for instance, he found any
v‘ret the:l dolt who die not wish to be on an equality with
sis neish o it—if he found any poor slave who said he was
tot fit t have a v.:Le—a:id catch this fellow if they could—
(1 a seeter)—.l he found, as it was proved to be in Jamaica,
th. t there were but two classes in society, a master class
and a slave class, then so much the better ; but could
th re be anything more degrading than that English-
men should be parcelled out into two communities, so
,h it one class should have votes, and the other have
no votes It al? Why, he asked, should not the
man who ocsupicd a 10/. house have a vote ? Did he not
get his bread as honestly es the pensioned profligate, and
had not God created him in human form and given him a
soul as sacred as another? Bet they said the non-repre-
sented hrd a part to perform. They had no vote, it was
true, 1 ut they were to look after those who had.—(Hear,
and taught r.) Whe this was an insult. It was just com-
paring them to those dogs which are employed by shep-
herds to go barking round the floc.: in order to keem them
in the pen.—(letnehter.) Tee non-electors were to be the
barking d egs, while others were to have the fl ece and all
the warmth t gave them.—(Great cheering and laughter.)
The next thing he was very anxious for was Vote by Bal-
lot.—(Loud elieering for severel minutes.) If every man
had a vote, end they votedby ballot, no doubt they would,
h tae good r .presentatives, for no one could intimidate them.
The candidate or his agent might threaten an elector before
he went into the ballot box ; he might succeed in extract-
ine from him a promise, but it lay with the voter, when he
did co in, to see whether such a elan was a fit representa-
tive, and whether he would not give him the little black
spot which he earned, and which he had no doubt he would
tecei:e.—(Lowl cheers.) Ile did not come there as the
a tvocete for telling a lie—lying of any kind was bad, but
was not the lie told now ? It was ; and doubly so when
they were commanded to vote for some one whom they
conirdered as unworthy of their choice. This was not only
an officious lie, but an active lie—the worst kind of lying ;
they did violence to their own conscience, and were treache-
rous to their country.—( Loud applause.) He did not
want to encourage falsehood, but to put an end to it,
and the to y worst kind of falsehood was hypocritical false-
hood. B. the Ballot the temptation to commit this
odious mo al offence was taken away, and this was all that
the best moralist could do—it was absolutely satanic to
offer temptation to the poor man, and it was the part of
the rr.ora ist to take it away.—(Cheers.) Bribery would
also be put an end to by the Ba'lot.—(Hear, hear.)
There was an old English phrase—" No man buys a pig
in a poke"—(Laughter)—and no one would be fool enough
to trust his money, without having some security for its
value.—(Cheers.) But there was another advantage
arising from the Ballot, seldom ascribed to it, and ie
was this, that the man who wished to go into Parliament
would use no other influence for the attainment of that
object than the influence of his character, his conduct, and
his public and private virtues. He would have a perpetual
interest in m tking himself useful to society, and respected
and bolos rd by those around him. If upon the bench, he
would ad.n raster justice faithfully—he would be the poor
man's friend, who would pray for him in secret as he re-
tired to rest, and ballot for him in sa'ety and security on
the morrow.—(Loud cheers.) So bete tam Providence
he verily believed there was nothing so likely to oreanize
England into a society of affection and rnutu I retard,
making the wealthy in station and talent anxious to emu-
late one another in doing good ; and if they were to in-
scribe on their standard of morality " The Ballot," they
would find throughout universal England men earning the
title of representatives and a place to Parlismsnt, only by
the influence of thsir virtues.—(Cheers.) He thought as the
Tories bad run away with the Reform Bill, that they should
give the people this Reform in its place. Bat what did
they ate to tho.-e over whom they how exereis td the pow t
of intimi.laion ? What did the landlord say to his te-
n.tnt by whose toil he hid accumuheed his wea7C-,who hal
t improved and ens iched his land, and by whose labour he en.
joycd every luxury he possessed ? " If you do ..oz. vot,ein.he