The Sun.
London, England, 1839-01-31 00:00:00

ANTI-CORN-LAW MEETIN G°_.

FINSBURY.
Pursuant to a requisition, very numerously signed, calling
upon the inhabitants of Finsbury to meet for the purpose of
taking into consideration the Repeal of the Corn-laws, a meet-
ing was held last evening at the White Conduit House. The
large room was completely crowded, and from several manifes
tations of feeling that took place before the business of the
meeting was commenced, it was evident that there was a large
party present whose views went beyond the Repeal of the
Corn-laws. About half-past six o'clock the principal requisi-
tionists entered the room, and took their places on the plat-
form. They were accompanied by the Members for the Bo-
rough, who were loudly cheered.
Mr. BROMARD came forward, and moved that Mr. Richard
Taylor take the Chair. This resolution, which was seconded
by Mr. William May, was the signal for uproar, groans, and
hisses, mixed with some cheering. There was then a loud cry
for Mr. Rogers to take the Chair, which was received with
great cheering.
The question that Mr. Rogers take the Chair was put by
Mr. T. Duncombe, M.P., and was declared to be carried
amidst immense cheering and confusion.
Mr. ROGERS, who was in the body of the meeting, ascen-
ded the platform and took the chair. He said that he would
endeavour to discharge the duty that had fallen upon him so
unexpectedly, impartially. The object the meeting had in
view was the repeal of the Corn-laws, and the question was as
to the best mode of attaining that object.—( Cheers and con-
fusion.) He supposed that resolutions to this effect would be
proposed by the parties who had originated the meeting—
( Groans)—and he would only say that if other persons in
the meeting took a different view of the mode that ought to
be pursued, he would assure each party, that as far as he
could prevail, they should have a fair and patient hearing.—
( Loud cheers.)
Mr. HEWETT
,was received with yells and cheers. He said
le, had undertaken to propose the first resolution, although he
a ,-s convinced there were many gentlemen present more com-
petent to do justice to it; however, he was satisfied that when
they had an object in view in which they were all interested,
they would sink all little differences when that great object was
to be attained.—(Groans.) That the question they had met to
discuss was of the greatest importance no man would deny,
for no want, not the want of clothing, was so severely felt as
the want of food.—( Hear, hear.) Next, like air we breathed,
the food we took for sustenance was the prime article of hu-
man life. He trusted, at all events, that should there be pre-
vent any who would object to the resolution he had to propose,
they would at least give credit for good intentions to those who
proposed it.—(Uproar and hisses.) He trusted that they
would believe that the resolution was proposed for the purpose
of serving them.—( Cries of " No, no I") It was clear that
the object of the meeting was for the purpose of protecting
those with whom they were then associated, who had not the
means of protecting themselves.—( Cheers, and great confu-
sion, with cries of " Give us Universal Suffrage r) To those
around him the price of the loaf of bread was not of so much
importance as to the men whom they employed, and they
could, therefore, have no improper or unnecessary motive in
the course they were pursuing.—(Great uproar.) The re-
solution was as follows :—" That the Corn-laws virtually
prohibit the people of this country from dealing where they
like for their food, and actually tax the whole community
to em ich one class, is a clear and manifest violation of
the first principles of good government, under which equal
protection should be given to all ; that they raise the price
of the first necessary of life, restrain the efforts of industry,
increase the privation of the labouring classes, check the pro-
gress of national prosperity, and are in every way injurious to
our best interests."—( Cheers.) This was a declaration of a
plain matter of fact, and it was, therefore, not necessary to
occupy much time in recommending it to their support. The
object they had in view was to enable them to get rid of that
unjust la.v which prevented them from getting their food at
the best market in order to put a large sum into the pockets
of the Aristocracy.--( Cheers.) He remembered reading that
about a century ago the weaving of calicoes was prohibited
in this country, lest it should interfere with woollens and
cottons. The law was repealed, and eo far from the manu-
facture of these two articles diminishing, it had greatly in-
creased. There could be no justice in attempting to protect
one class at the expense of the rest of the community.—
( Cheers.) The question, then, was, how to get rid of these
Corn-laws.—(Great uproar, and cries of " Universal Suf-
frage.") He should have been glad to state his opinion on
the question of the Suffrage, but that was not the question at
present.—(Great uproar.) He had a strong desire to see the
Suffrage extended, but they had no right to debate that sub-
ject upon the resolution he held in his hand.—(lmmense con-
fusion and uproar, during which • Mr. Hewett made many
fruitless attempts to get a hearing. He at length sat down,
merely moving the resolution.)
Mr. R. TAYLOR rose, and the uproar having partially sub-
sided, said he was glad to see the people of England, after a
considerable period of apathy, beginning to bestir themselves
on a subject of the first importance. They bad found that it
was necessary to take the business into their own hands.—
( Loud cheers.) They had expected to see the question of
the repeal of the Corn-laws brought forward by a Liberal Ad-
ministration, and,they had ext-ected that a Reformed Parlia-
ment would have taken it up ; but seeing that they had been
disappointed, they were now about to take it into their own
hands.—( Cheers.) He hoped they would not only take up
the question of Corn-lairs, but every other question that inte-
rested the people.—(Cries of " Universal Suffrage.") In
order to do business well, they must take one thing at a time.
--(Cries of " No, no," and groans.) He was sure they all
meant the same thing.--( Cheers and hisses. ) He was asto-
Tdshed when he heard Lord John Russell announce that it was
his intention, in the Reform of Parliaink nt, to give
the landed interest a preponderance.—( Groans and hisses.)
He never was more astounded than be was at that
moment, and his confidence in the Whig Ministers was
very much shaken.—( Cheers.) Equally little was he disposed
to place reliance on the present 1-louse of Commons, when,
in the last Session, the motion made by Mr. Clay on this
subject had no more thins about thirty or forty supporters.
It was time, then, for the people to take the subject into
their own hands ; and lie would recommend them, whatever
might be their opinions on other subjects, to lend their
principal attention to the subject that called them together.
—( Cheers, and cries of " No, no !" and great uproar, during
which the Chairman appealed to the meeting to give
Mr. Taylor a hearing. The appeal having produced
some effect, Mr. Taylor continued.) There was one
most material point to leo considered. The duty that was
wrung from the people by means of the 'Corn-laws, instead
of going into the national exchequer, went to enrich an
Aristocracy, and to enable them to oppress the rest of the
people.—( Cheers.) If these laws wept to the benefit of the
country something might be said in support of them ; hut
they were merely a means of extracting the last farthing
from the poor and industrious workman, in order to give
undue power to the Aristocracy. The tendency of these
laws was to destroy national property ; for unless they could
get food at the same price at which it was obtained in other
countries, it was impossible fur the industry of this country to
have a fair chance of competing with the foreigner. He could
only say that with regard to that branch of trade in which he
was engaged, much British capital was engaged in the same
trade on the continent, to the great detriment of the work-
men and employers in this country. He need not enlarge on
the monstrous nature of the Corn-laws; the only question
was how they were to get redress. He should say that the
people would be justified in endeavouring by ail means in
their power to get rid of so monstrous a law—a law that
would never have passed in a Legislature in which the
people were fairly represented.—( Loud cheers.) He hoped
that as they all meant the same thing, they would not allow
slight differences of opinion to disturb or lessen the weight
which their united voices would have in obtaining the repeal
of those laws.—(Cheers and great uproar, during which Mr.
Taylor seconded the resolution.)
Mr. FARROW, a working man, came forward to address the
meeting. They had been told that they outrht to sink all minor
differences on the present occasion, but he hoped they would
not forget the Universal Suffrage question.—( Loud cries of
" Question," together with cheers and groans. )
The CHAIRMAN endeavoured to obtain silence. He begged
to tell those persons who cried " question," that the question
of the Suffrage was intimately connected with the Corn-laws.
Loud cheers, and great confusion.)
Mr. FARROW resumed. That the Corn-laws were oppres-
sive and unjust there could be no doubt, but what was the ob-
ject of those who sought to repeal them ?—( Great confusion.)
How was it that those gentlemen, if they were sincere in their
wishes to serve the working men, had never come forward to
support Universal Suffrage ?—( Cheers.) That meeting was
a mere subterfuge—a scheme of the Whigs.— ( Cheers, laugh-
ter, hisses, and great confusion.) Universal Suffrage once
gained would not enable them to repeal the Corn-laws only,
but all other bad laws.—(Cheers.) This was the question of
the middle-men and the moneyed men; and he would recom-
mend the working men to let them fight their own battles.—
( Cheers and 'greens. )
Mr. CARLOW, a working man, said that that numerous meet
ins was not to be humbugged by Corri-laws.—(Great cheer-
ing and confusion.) He wanted the repeal of the Corn-
laws, but he warted something else first.--(Cheers.) The
agitation of Universal Suffrage had given birth to the
Corn-law agitation. If, then, the Corn-law agitation were
the child of the Universal Suffrage agitation, he would
say, look after the interest of the parent first.—(Great
cheering and uproar.) He was there to move an
amendment to the resolution that had been proposed. The
amendment was this :—" That this meeting, feeling acutely
the injustice and oppression caused by the Corn-laws, and
considering the powerful interests opposed to the abolition of
those laws, is of opinion that we must first restore to the
people their political rights, in order to effect the repeal of
those laws, and this meeting, therefore, is further of opinion
that the question of Universal Suffrage pre-eminently de-
mands the support of all real Reformers."—(lmmense cheer-
ing and uproar, which was with great difficulty, and after
some time, partially put an end to by the Chairman.) Mr.
Carlow proceeded : The question for the meeting win to pe-
tition for the repeal of the Corn-laws. After what they had
heard of the nature of the present House of Commons, did
they expect that they would repeal the Corn-laws?—(Cries
of " Yes," " No," and uproar.) This question was only got
up to bolster up the Whig Government.—( Cheers and
hisses, and great confusion, during which some fellow threw
a penny roll on the platform.) If the Corn-laws pressed FO
hard upon the country, why not intrust the franchise to those
upon whom they pressed most ?—( Cheers.) With these ob-
servations be would move the amendment.
Mr. WATSON (also a working man) came forward to second
the amendment. He believed that the present corrupt House
of Commons would never repeal the Corn-laws. The great
majority of that House were landowners, and how could they
expect that those persons would give up a large portion of
their incomes ? Some persons might think that the House of
Commons was disinterested, but he did not think that the