The Sun.
London, England, 1865-01-11 00:00:00

Mr. Ayrton and his Constituents,

Last night a public meeting of the inhabitants of
the Tower Hamlets was held at the Beaumont Insti-

,ution, Beaumont-square, Mile-end, for the purpose

of hearing an address from Mr. Ayrton, M.P., one

of the members for the borough. The meeting was
very numerously attended,. and Mr. W. Newton

presided.
After a few introductory observations from the
Chairman,
Mr. AYRTON, who was well received, said that he
appeared before them in consequence of a pledge
which he had given some years ago, that he would
meet his constituents at the end of each session of
Parliament. He was not able to redeem that pledge
last year, but the reasqn was that he happened to be in
India. He appeared before them now not so much
to pass comments on what had been done during
the session of Parliament as to obtain information
from them as to the future. And first, with

regard to the duties of members of Parliament, and
especially of metropolitan members, he thought that
one of the chief was to support local action, and to

give it adequate scope and freedom. But it was by

electing members to the Metropolitan Board and

bringing the influence of the whole of the metro-
polis to bear on the Government that they could
best protect their local interests, and not by calling

on him as an individual to advocate them in the

House of Commons. But perhaps it might be said
that the Metropolitan Board had not done their
duty. (Hear, hear.) If that was their opinion it was
their fault, for they were the electors of the mem-
bers of the board. (Hear, hear.) The Metropolitan
Board, as it seemed to him, had shown great good

sense in their management of the sewage question.
The sewage of London was at first proposed to be
got rid of at a cost of 11,000,0001., but the
Metropolitan Board executed the works for
4,000,0001. He thought they were right, if
the land did not absorb the sewage, in carrying it

out to sea, where at' least it would cease to be a
nuisance. (Hear.) When he advocated local rights
in the House of Commons his great opponents were

the Corporation of London. He thought it a
national disgrace that there should be 1,012,000
chargeable poor in England alone. The cost of
their maintenance was 6,500,0001. -This was a
deplorable state of things, and required to be
seriously and deeply considered. (Hear, hear.) One
of the deep-seated causes of this extensive charge-
ability was to be found in the practice of infant

labour. (Hear, hear.) It appeared from the report
of the commission on infant labour just made, that
mere infants were kept at work ten and twelve and
even fourteen hours a day. (Hear, hear.) Children
of five years of age were thus obliged to work when
what called the necessities of industry required
it. If he were not speaking to an assembly
of Englishmen he should say that this was
nothing better than a system of infant slavery,
(Hear, hear.) [And slavery, whether of adults or of
children, was a moral pest, which brought in its
train, ignorance, poverty, and crime. (Cheers.)
The children who were thus treated, when grown
up, would be sure to rear g generation like them-
selves ; but the evil did not stop there, for the ex-
ample would spread. Children were asked if they
knew who Christ was, and they replied by asking if
it was a newly-invented machine, for they had never
heard of it. (Shame.) They must not blame the
poor, for they acted perhaps from ignorance. 'They
must bring home the blame and shame of this to the
really guilty parties—those employers of labour and
capitalists who used up infants in this way for the
creation of wealth for themselves. Another source
of this vast chargeability was to be found in the
misappropriation of the education grant. (Hear,

hear.) Ile thought Mr. Lowe had been badly treated
by the Government. The people of this country
were indebted to Mr. Lowe for resisting the increase
of taxation for the purpose of education when the
money was not properly distributed, and when the
education did not reach those for whose benefit the
tax was levied. He should protest against one
farthing being taken from the pockets of the people
to be spent in ministering to the vice and dissipation
of soldiers and sailors. (Hear.) Another cause of
what he must call their national disgrace was the
improvidence of the people. He very much approved
of the bill of last session 'for shutting up public-
houses after a certain hour of the night. (Shut them
up altogether.) During the last session Mr. Lawson
brought in what he called a permissive bill, but it
was not a permissive bill, and he felt that he could
not support it. (Hear, hear.) The present law had
more of the character of a permisssive measure, but
the people ought to share with the magistrates in
the power to grant licences. He had supported the
extension of savings banks and of friendly societies.
He had no doubt Mr. Gladstone meant well when
he introduced his bill on friendly societies, but he had
as little doubt the time would come when the people
of this country would laugh to scorn the idea
that the Governments were to take care of them, and to
manage their affairs for them. (Hear, hear.) He believed
that the casual poor-law bill of last session introduced a
sound principle which would ultimately lead to a reform of
the poor law. (A voice—" 'What about the army ?") Some-
body seemed anxious to enlist. (Laughter.) It was said
that armies were required in consequence of the state of
foreign affairs. The state of America was referred to as a
proof that free institutions had failed. But he did not think
that anything had occurred in America of which the friends
of free institutions need be afraid or ashamed. (Hear.) No
doubt there was' great loss of life and property. But it
was impossible that a contest on which the existence of the
United States as a nation depended, could be carried on
without great sacrifice of life and property. During the
'Crimean war there was as great a sacrifice of life and pro-
perty on the part of this country, considering the number
of the armies fighting on both sides. (Hear, hear, and cries
of "No, no," and "-"Tis a lie.") The wisdom of the inter-
ruption might be judged by the propriety of the terms in
which it was made. (Cheers.) He maintained that when
England engaged in her great wars she had to carry them
on at a great sacrifice of life and with =enormous increase
of taxation, and in former times the constitution was sus-
pended, and the people were deprived of their liberty.
(Hear.) He was sorry the Government did not accept the
proposal for arbitration which had been made to it respect-
ing the Alabama, as it would show that the people of this
country were desirous of acting fairly towards the United
States. The American war had the effect of all wars,
that of turning the attention of the people from ques-
tions of internal reform. (Hear, hear.) They had seen
this in the case of Prussia, the people of which had been
turned from reform at home by the war in Sleswig-
Holstein, and he believed there weal other countries that
acted on the same principle. The attention of the English
people had been too much directed to foreign affairs, and
the effect was lamentable on their expenditure and on their
taxation. Their expenditure was 4,000,0001. more than
it was in 1859, after the Crimean war, and although per-
sons boasted of the remission of taxation, he thought it
was pretty clear that it was nothing but a shifting of
burdens. (Hear, hear.) He therefore deprecated any inter-
ference in the affairs of foreign nations. (Hear.) Of course
they must keep up such a force in this country as would
prevent invasion and keep the soil intact from foreign foes
as it had been kept intact for 800 years. (Hear, hear.) He
thought the greatest credit was due to Mr. Cobden for his
efforts in bringing about the French treaty. (Hear.) But
generally speaking the attention of the people had been
taken away from those internal questions which were of so
much interest and importance to them. There wasthe ques-
ion of the church. Much been said of late on the subject
of the church.
For himself
had
as-
tounded and sho kr
establishment in
peared to him tocbtids
lumself he declared that he was as-
bcoyutnhteryi.nefficiency of the great church
merely a (Cheers.) The church ap-
to the mysteries political institution, dedicated
of
who would purchase6'lZ—not the saint, but the sorcerer,
onlybe given to faith. (Che money the power that should
trayed the Liberal party onetZ) The Government had be-
babalekleogrt,oulaTil
Lord Palmerston sneered at theeehlirch-rate Abolition Bill
reform had been placed in the
Pbarylitrosenwho'
had been actually made a Gove
supposed to be the best friends of reformcause they were
There was one man among the Mini
hear.)
stry, however, of vigor-

ous intellect and honest intentions, and he believed that
when Mr. Gladstone made his celebrated declaration in the

house, he had in his own mind the outline of a new reform
bill. (Heir, hear.) Such a measure was absolutely neces-
sary if this country was to hold its position among the mi.-

ions of the wtrld. He could not look back withsatisfac-

tion to the conduct of the Government during the last ses-
sion of Parliament. He thought that Parliaments were of
too long duration, and that Governments would be more
disposed to carry out the wishes of the people if they had
the opportunity of more frequently expressing an opinion
on the policy of Governments. (Hear, .hear.) The people
would, however, soon have an opportunity of expressing
their opinion, and they should make it known that they
would support no Government that was not prepared to
stand or fall by reform. (Hear, hear.) It was the duty of
a Government to lead, and not to lag behind. But what
had been the conduct of the Government ? The church
rate question had been evaded, the ballot sneered at, reform
abandoned; and was this state of things to be perpetuated
with the cry of Palmerston for ever ? (Hear, hear.) He
should respond to no such cry. (Cheers.) He should not
give his support to any Ministry that was not prepared to
give to the people of this country those measures of reform
to which they were entitled, and which had been promised
to them. (Cheers.)
A vote of confidence was then passed on the hon. mem-
ber, and the meeting separated.

THE FRENCH BUDGET.