The Sun.
London, England, 1838-09-17 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

The " winter of discontent" seems to be setting in upon
us with unwonted earliness and rigour. On both sides of
the Channel " the Prince of the powers of the air" is letting
loose his Ministers in all directions. In the Irish horizon,
O'Connell, with his precursory blasts, is endeavouring to
act the part of a political monsoon. The sheet lightnings
of Father Davern are flashing vividly in the same sphere.
An angry storm appears to be gathering in the manufactur-
ing districts of Yorkshire under the impetuous abettorship
of that ill-used man, Mr. Oastler, whose intemperate opi-
nions have been stimulated beyond all reasonable bounds
by the indirect persecution he has received from the Poor-
law Commissioners—while, to extend the catalogue of dis-
asters still further, Mr. Thos. Attwood is doing what he
can to rekindle the political furnaces of Birmingham, which,
in spite of that capricious bellows-blower, had almost
entirely died out. What may be the ultimate consequences
of these calamitous and conflicting portents it is not very
easy to conjecture ; but their more immediate effects are
already realized, in the establishment of the Precursor As-
sociation for aggravating the disorders of Ireland, and also
in the revival of political unions among ourselves, for work-
ing gnew the deprecated " pressure from without." With
,regard to the anti-Poor-law movements of Mr. Oastler, his
ialschievoui. doctrine, encouraging the poor to assert their
.right to suitable sustenance by physical force, may be looked
upon, we think, as comparatively harmless. That the great
body of English artisans, to whom he mainly addresses him-
self, can ever be betrayed into the folly and danger of
formally arraying themselves against the civil and mili-
tary forces of the country, is surely as little credible as
the pertinacious adherence of their well meaning adviser
to the counsels he has incautiously given them. In
this kingdom, any attempt to get rid of obnoxious laws by
violent and insurrectionary means must not only end in
calamitous failure, but will probably have the effect of post-
poning their repeal or modification for many years to come.
Among the comfortable and affluent classes by whom the
grievance of such laws may not be extensively felt, there is
often a corresponding want of sympathy with the more im-
patient sufferers who resort to unconstitutional modes of
redress ; in virtue of which, resistance takes the place of
co-operation and demands, otherwise reasonable, are con-
demned to hr pless repulses, from the reprehensible turbu-
lence wherewith they chance to bo prosecuted. The
operatives of Yorkshire are wise enough to know
this ; and their ardent friend at Huddersfield is, we
re sure, much too ingenuous not to confess and
act upon it. How the Precursor Association is faring
over the water we hive, as yet, but slender means of
knowing. Even in Cork, alcordiLg to the Ulster Times,
its numerical success has —fallen considerably short of

O'Connell's artful boastings : though, considering that its
multiplicand is workable by a servile priesthood of 7,000,
i is not improbable that, even with the large divisionary
abatements warranted by its founder's exageerations, the
quotient after all may be fur from inconsiderable. Be this
as it may, the Radical pilgrims of England, notwithstand-
iefe the repeated bliehts to which they have been subjected
by the great Irish monsoon, have set out once more in the
ca.aven of Mr. Thomas Attwood on the overland short cut
to Annual Parliaments and Universal Suffrage. Having
;started fro:n Birmingham with a tolerably decent meal,
tbri are to stop to-day to take refreshments in Westmin-
ster ; aod, certaiuly, if their progress, rations, or welcome
should proee in the least degree disappointing to themselves,
it is not the funk of their outoceuts and pion; era. To se-
cure is" glorious triumph" every conceiveble effete his been
;rade, Advertisements Nvitinut number—types of untoreal
rasaenitude.-1 syllabus of piquant quality—and, ls:ly,
amino in, ivhcse cflieial eharieter as high-bailiff may be
expected to impart both novelty and order to the a:sern-
blage—all these expedients have beeo timeously resorted to
in order to prevent matters from going off flat. In short,
the Biran'nerham and Westminster rumps ere to here a
royal and rampant day of it. Whole butts of Powell
Buxton's heavy wet are to be upon the groarol in prime
taro V. Wade, the Radieel sinecurist, end Mr. Queffe,
the jeuree) men ta;ior, and all the elite of • Marylebone
Workhouse-tad d, are expected to take part in the proceed-
ing-J. The ad‘oca,::v of an unrestricted potato crop in
prafc-
rence to Corn-law resi,-aints is coaamiited to Mr. Murphy.
An unlimited ferocity co the subject of political bars
is intrusted to Mr. Sewage, the publieaa. It is not
improbable flea the Birmingham bellows-blower may be
present in persona to point out the best method of gving
expre:eion to the keys and crochets of lis oten ftvotuite
inetrument ; but what it will ail end in 'oust be left to
Heaven and the High Bailiff. Judging by Mr. Attwood's
pu'onehed entleipatione respecting it, we are warranted is,
~xp,,,,ting a terrible political " terripe3t." " The people,"
that is, Mr. Quaffy aThresaid, and his professional frater-
nity of Te,oley-street, arc to " rise in the legal sal peaceful
majority of their strength," and they are both " to deneend
and insure indemnity for the past, and security for the
future." The official and business-like air with which the
cracked Monetarian professes to ride and control this coming
storm of his must, we thhek., be deeply affecting to his friends ;
to ourselves, of course, it is only comical. " It is not /,"says
he, " who have raised the tempest. lam but an humble
instrument of the public will ; borne, like others, before the
fury of the public passions, and directing them, as far us
possilale into wholesome ends." There is, however, one
important announcement which lie takes care to make.
Whatever designs may be cherished by his fellow-levellers,
lie very distinctly and compassionately says, " The Crown
and the Aristocracy of the Church shall receive no injury
from me." For this considerate intimation the Queen and
the Bishops will doubtless be duly thankful. But the Corn-
laws, the currency system, and the non-enfranchisement of
the Brummagem forgernen—God help the Wight that shall
dare to vindicate any such things. To the advocates of
sound common sense the pledge against receiving an injury
does not extend. But the High Bailiff will be present—
Ihere is some comfort in that.—limes.
We learn from the Leeds Mercury that the clothiers
atteneing the Leeds cloth balls are directing their attention
to the subject of the Corn-laws, under a strong and just im-
pression that those laws operate most injuriously on our
manufactures, and encourage the rival manufactures of
Damp° and America. We learn farther, that it is proba-
ble a meeting will soon be held in Leeds originating with
this class ; and that the other manufacturing towns and
villages will also express their opinions on the subject. Our
Contempoaary speaks with approbation of the disposition
which is felt to establish associations for obtaining an aboli-
tion of the Corn-laws. The present time seems peculiarly
favourable for the successful agitation of this important
nue.stion ; for an overwhelming necessity will alone influence
the landowners to do justice to the rest of the community,
and ;be starving families of mechanics and labourers supply
powen"ol motives for zeal and energy on the part of the op-
ponents of the Corn-laws. If we do not succeed in freeing
ourselves iron: this oppressive burden at a time like the
present we shall never succeed. We must, therefore, strike
while the iron is hot. There is but one way of speaking to
the aristocracy on this subject to which they will pay the
least attention. The Leeds Mercury justly observes that—
" The Corn-laws are a systern for transferring the land-
cwi:er's share of the national bursie.ls from his own shoulders
to those of the manufacturers, mercinznts, and consumers
general,;'. They are a system for increasing RENTS at the
expense of PROFITS and LABOUR. They give the landlords a
monopoly of She. home market, in order to enable them to get
a nolopoly pr,:e from the consumer. They compel the con-
sumer to pay a sbilling for the same loaf which on the Con-
tinent he may buy fur sevenpence or eightpence."
It is farther observed, and with perfect truth that—
" If England had no trade beyond her own territory, this
would be an unjust, oppressive, and absurd system; but when
a great part of our population is engaged in manufacturing
for foreign markets, and is, therefore, in immediate and in-
cessant competition with all other manufacturing countries,
the oppressiveness and absurdity of the system are greatly ag-
gravate!. it is as if the owner of a race-horse should load his
own horse beyond what the rules of the course required."
We have often remarked that a nation which eeeports
manufactures cannot indemnify itself by raising prieesof ma-
nufactures in proportion to the increased price of corn. The
fore'ener will not pay the English manufacturer more for
itis goods than he pays to others for theirs, merely because
to pays more for his food. The price, however, which
the manufacturer obtains abroad determines the price at
borne ; for no man would export goods to obtain less for
them that he can obtain at home. While a country ex-
ports mantofactures the landlord has the benefit of buying
these manufaanres at a lower price than they arc sold at
to foreigners by
them. The
the amount of freight and other charges
English Landowner, therefore, while he ob-
-011
teios by monopoly a &tibiae price for the produce of the
which 'los requires from
ustice should
our artisans
soil, buys. everything
at the leery lowest rate. It is time that this inj
cease. V.re entreat. men. of. proerty and influence,
districts, ,td put themselves
in the • inenue'actimn.g.
to guide it to o successful end.
at the head of the ogitation,
j ull, a siren,* and 9. pull alto-
We must have a tee p d
skiliallyeaccregaonflztelicei
iparnodcoofv. :)n.iteig
gether. By judicious al:
are shall be able to act on Cho pru:i: When the people
ere'l to avoid all violence and conoes.on.
of a.
see t..
there is a reasonable prospec.t
n end being put
to this . ee tee make such
iniquitous burden, they will remain patient onoor
their suffei-ings. It is only common pal criti,
a powerful de:sionstration as will at once s
the hearts of our' aristocratic oppressors. 'ioe / e a .1
1 'tl
cury grope, es wr SIC argument which has been used to
dailCh the working class_ from the opponents of the Urn-

laws :

if bread wir( to Le
"ilizrtiun, and time-

Alit, say tlie agricultural
cbraper, wa;..tes would fall in :be same
fore the working- classes would be no gainers.
-‘lsicm, let it be obscrced how important a corices!,.
argument necessarily involvrp. It implies, of necessity
that the working classes wc:uld, in the first instance -at
lea t, receive a larger snpply of good in return for their labour
than they do al present. This i. admitted ; and, it- we mis-
take uf.-,t, the wol-king- &asses will think this a very sub-

this