The Sun.
London, England, 1838-11-02 00:00:00

public at large, which was indebted to the Press for the fair
and impartial statements with respect to every subject which
were daily laid before it.—(Cheers.) In fact, all subjects
unconnected with politics were handled fairly and impartially
by the Press.—(Loud cheers.) To the exertions of the Press
they owed their freedom—the liberty they all enjoyed ; and
if the Press of this country were under the surveillance of a
British Government similar to that enjoyed by foreign powers
in other countries, there would be an end to such meetings as
the present. Nay, if inch a meeting took place, they would
be sure to have the spies of the police amongst them, and
it was most likely that their Chairman, on leaving the room,
eould be consigned to a dungeon for the part he had taken
in the presiding over it.—(Hear.) He believed this to be
positively the case, for he had been recently informed, on the
best authority, that in France, at the present moment, no
religious sect unrecognised, by Government, could meet
for divine worship, if the members of the congregation con-
sisted of more than 19 persons ; and that if more than three
persons met for the purpose of petitioning Government, they
could all be thrown into prison.—( Hear.) There was no in-
dividual there who respected the press of this country more
than he did ; and he, therefore, felt the greatest pleasure in
proposing the health of Mr. Anderson, and of the Public
Press.—(Loud cheers.)
Mr. ANDERSON said that his first duty was, as the lead-
ing representative of the. Press present on this occasion, as
well in that capacity as for the manner in which his health
had been personally proposed, to return to the Chairman
his ,warmest and most heartfelt thanks for the kind manner
in which his health had been propceed, in connection with
that influential organ the Public Press, with which be was
connected, and to the company, for the very handsome
manner in which it had responded to the toast.—(Cheers.)
Their excellent Chairman had unfortunately, in the kind-
ness of his heart, in a want of knowledge of the fact, con-
nected him as the Editor of the Morning Advertiser and of
The Sun Newspapers ; but, although he ( Mr. Anderson)
had the honour to conduct the literary department of the
Morning Advertiser, yet he was not the Editor of The
Sun. The Editor and Proprietor of that Joinnal and
himself were, however, and had long been, personal
friends. They held in a great measure the same political
opinions, and, generally speaking, they advocated the
same principles in respect to all—public_ eatrAprises.—
(Hear, and cheers.) He had no doubt that their Chairman,
is referring to him, had in his view the services mutually
rendered by them with respect to the Ramsgate Bill, as he
would term it, for he could not find words, were he to de-
signate it as he ought, to mark it sufficiently. He would,
however, shortly refer to this measure, and to the manner
in which—had it not been for the exertions. of the public
Journals, of many Members of Parliament, and of the Go-
vernment—it would have been smuggled in and out of the
House.—(Hear.) It happened that at this time the repre-
sentative of the Commercial Company, at Ramsgate, Cap-
tain Hodges, was in London officially, for the purpose of
using his best endeavours to throw out the Bill, and to
save the town and port of Ramsgate from the great cala-
mity which would, no doubt, otherwise have been entailed
upon it.—(Hear.) Mr. Croucher had been employed to
forward his objects, having been at the same time employed
by him (Mr. Anderson) and others to forward another Bill
ia which. he (Mr. Anderson) was interested. He found that
he could ask a favour where another had been granted, and
that it was as easy to ask it in reference to one subject as to
another, when both were under agitation at the same period.
Thus he had proceeded,-(Hear.) He canvassed for the
Bill in which he had been individually interested, and which
had been passed in spite of the Government.—(Hear and
cheers.) It had been passed by a majority of ten to one,
and those who voted for it had voted against the Ramsgate
Bill, for it cost him no additional labour to•show to those
who voted for the one Bill that it was just and right that they
should turn out the other.—(Hear.) The matter had been
one of great moment as regarded Ramsgate. They had
only 36 hours to organise an opposition to the measure, and
therefore Mr. Attwood was entitled to the greatest credit for
his conduct, as the measure was not known until its third
reading, and they had only this amount of time to save Rams-
gate from destruction. For if the attempt had been success-
ful the inhabitants would have caused to be imposed a tax of
perhaps only 3001. a year upon steam and other vessels, but
they would have disgusted the proprietors of steam-vessels
by the imposition of a direct tax upon them, and they would
have disgusted the public generally by the indirect tax which
would necessarily have been imposed upon it with the port
and the town.—( Hear, hear, and cheers.) With all his good
feeling towards the town of Ramsgate, and he most sin-
cerely wished it success, there, nevertheless, was one pro-
position which he would wish to impress upon them, and
if there was any one principle more true than another it
was this—it was one which had been proved by all cir-
cumstances—the more they taxed a people the more cer-
tain those who taxed them would lose by the increase.—
(Hear and loud cheers.) A tax upon steam companies
was the most indiscreet that could be ever imposed, for it
would tend rather to be expensive to those who would in-
flict the tax than to those who were taxed, as it would
prevent their coming to the places where the taxes were
imposed, and to diminish the number of passengers which
constituted their prosperity, and thus, instead of 40,000
or 100,000 passengers occupying houses, or being lodgers,
expending their money purchasing the provisions, and
encouraging the trade of the town, not one-half. f that
amount would be derivable. And he would say, there-
fore, that those who had thrown out the Ramsgate Bill
were the best friends of the town, although some
persons might think otherwise.—(Hear, hear, hear.) He
did not wish to trespass further on their time by expatiat-
ing upon the benefits which the Press of the United King-
dom had conferred upon its inhabitants. These were well
known to them all.—( Hear, hear.) There had been a ce-
lebrated orator who said, " Give me the Press, and I can
rule the world !" but fortunately it happened that no man
had ever been enabled to grasp the Press in his hands, and
therefore this empire was ruled by freedom, not by despot-
ism.—(Loud cheers.) He was frank enough to allow. that
the Press gave expression to and advocated different opinions.
In politics they almost all 'differed ; but he firmly believed,
that whether its components were Tory, Whig, or Radical,
they had all really but one object in view—the good of their
fellow citizens. At least—whatever might be the case in
the country—in London, when gentlemen connected with
the Press quarrelled on political grounds, they had no
differences whatever upon any other foundation.—(Loud
cheers.) He would conclude. by expressing his regret
that his friend Mr. Young, -the Editor of The Sun, was
not present, in order to return his thanks for the notice
which had been taken of himself, and of that Journal;
of which he was the Proprietor. That gentleman had
been long eminent in his endeavours to promote public
undertakings of every caste, whether-they were Steam Com-
panies or Railroads, or whatever he deemed to be useful
for the purpose of increasing public prosperity, or to draw
man and man closer, not only by decreasing space, but in
promoting a moral union between thcm.—(Hear, and
cheers.) Such was the uniting principle of the Press,
which, however it might be divided as regarded politics,
nevertheless was not divided upon those subjects which
tended to promote the interests of mankind.—(Loud
cheers.) He had felt great pleasure in residing both in
Margate and Ramsgate—he wished both towns well, and if
the people of Ramsgate thought that those who had op-
posed the Ramsgate Bill had acted ill, they had still acted
for the best ; and he felt sure they would soon get the cre-
dit of doing so, for if that Bill had been passed it would
have proved one of the greatest nuisances with which the
town and prt could have been inflicted.—(Loud cheers.)
The CHAIRMAN then said that he bad again to call the
attention of those assembled to Steam Navigation Corn-
' panies.—(Hear, hear.) They had amongst them gentle-
men win) had taken a very active part in the transactions
of the Commercial Steam Navigation Company. He -Te-
ferred-to Capt. Hodges—(Cheers)---who was connected
with the Company, which had gradually extended itself,
and was every day opening to itself new stations. He sin-
cerely wished that this Company should prosper, and he
would therefore propose, " Prosperity to the Commercial
Steam Company, and Capt. Hodges."—(Loud cheering.)
Capt. HODGES said that he had been almost.overwhelmed
by the manner in which this toast had been proposed and
received. He could not take this to himself, but must
attribute it to the Company with which he was connected.cri__
That Company bad long been known, and has long struggled
:or :Or the rights of steam navigation. It had fought t,
manfully, and although emulation might existr,,,_
( Hear,
opposition to other Companies was at h^ trusted
hear.) The condition with respect to cle!)!Lit,l'tlCe.g,
cheapness of the steam versrls with whher uu
owrdaesr,caotnid-
was desirous of
nected could not- be excelled,
emulation, he was sorry that thei
awlArArgate 0:d Company
port in respect to the
Which it might have
did not contend for the riviawry
continued with advantage
e‘t,orletrived from rivalry without
advantagee. which might
opposition.—(Cheers.)e
Herne Bay Steam-packet Com-
pany," toast of
eloquently responded to by Mr. JOHN'
BRoWNE, who "ressed his anxiety that the Company
pany," was tlie
should be rendered.
en)
as useful as possible to the public ser-
vice,dividuals might lose by the trade, and
although
I 'ir boats, still the Herne Bay Company would
stated that although the Margate Coo.pany had discon-
tinued t
send (by arrangement) their boats to Margate. .
The CuarnareN, as a Director of the , General Steam
Navigation Company, also returned thanks for the toast of
" Prosperity to the General Steam Na'. igation Company,"
in an eloquent speech, in which he set forth the exertions
made by the Company to promote.. intercourse between
' kingdom and kingdom, and stated the desire of the
Company, whilst it avoided opposition, nevertheless to
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