The Sun.
London, England, 1831-01-13 00:00:00

REFORM MEETINGS.

YORK CITY AND COUNTY.
(From the York Courant of Tuesday.)
The York City and County Reform Association
having announced that a general meeting of all per-
tons favourable to the views of the said Association,
would be held in the large room,at the Yoik Tavern,
on Tuesday evening last, and that several gentlemen
of the city and county were expected _to address the
said meeting, a numerous and very respectable
company assembled at the time appointed.
Mr. Sheriff MEEK, the President of the Pro-
visional Committee of the Association, was unani-
mously called to the chair, and addressed the meet-
ing nearly as follows :—Gentlemen—l will not
occupy much of, your time, but very briefly state the
object and design of our Association, which is called
" The York City and County Reform Association."
If I was to give the name I like best to a Reform I
Would call it a Radical Reform.—(Cheers.) I am
aware that many people are greatly alarmed, and
afraid of the, word radical—they connect with it
revolution, and. what has been: called the levelling
system; but Abe, meaning that I attach to the ward
iS a Reform from the root, or a Reform throughout ;
and that we iviinf a thorough Reform, is obvious to
a demonstration.—(Loud applause.) The Consti-
tution of this country is formed of three component
parts—the King, Lords, and Commons—the latter
is said to be the voice or representation of the
people. I ask the question, is that the cue at
present ? It is obvious that the contrary is the fact.
—(Cheers.) Take out of that house all the mem-
bers that have pensions, places, and sinecures, and
also the members sent by the aristocracy, as nomi-
nees, and what have you left ? Very few indeed ;
and even those few are not properly; fairly, and
freely returned by the people.—(Load cheers.)—
To begin to reform we must begin at the root ; and,
I say, the constituents of the House of Commons
—the people, are the root; and here Reform must
begin. I know of no better or likelier way of
remedying the present corrupt system, than the
taking of the vote by ballot.—(Loud cheering.)—
Let us try the ballot system—(Cheers)—and I do
think that we shall find that it will answer ; and if
once the people of England get a fair, free, and
legitimate representation in their own House—the
House of Commons, we shall soon witness the good
effects thereof.—(Cheers.) That House once re-
formed, will lead to and enforce other Reforms; and
among the first and foremost, will be a Reform in
the Tithe System of this country.—(Loud cheers.)
I am aware that it is a very delicate thing to ap-
proach our mother church, or even any thing that
she thinks belongs to her ; and I would have it

understood, that I have no wish nor desire to pull
down religion ; but, a Reform is wanted, and I beg
here to state, that the highest dignitary in the
Church stated in his place in the House of Lords,
last week, that a Reform is wanted in the Tithe
System ; and if the opinions of the farmers were
taken, by ballot, it would be found that very few
differ from his Grace's opinion.—(Cheers and
laughter.) I know a little about agriculture, and
only a little; but, I know that the Tithe System is
a grievous and vexatious thing to the farmer. An
agiculturist, for instance, cultivates and tills his land
well—he lays out a considerable sum of money in
manure, and other kind of tillage—in short, he
sinks a large sum of money in his land, and of
course he expects heavier and better crops—land is
said to be grateful—he has laid out his property in
the land, and he has a proportionate return—but,
how vexatious to see that, after he has reaped his
crop, and made it ready for the garner, one tenth of
it is taken away.—(Cheers.) It is riot to be won-
dered at, that the parish priest is of little or no use
to his parishioners, in terming districts.—(Applause.)l
Ifltnderstard
Ministry
thirs Alry tnisltyray of Christ right, the
design i
of thatis,
that
its
mitti;ters
might be beneficial, in a spiritual sense, to those to
continues it is, and will be, a bane
whom they minister; but so long as the present
Lidthtei
cSuyrssetemto
the
country._
(Cheers.) Another
extensive field for Reform will' be the long lists of
sinecures, placemens pensioners, and I must add
feel and appreciate the value of the fair
but,
sex;l
pension women too.--(Cheers and laughter.) I
hope that
when time good of the state is the question,
air
even a lady must give place. I will instance but
one, although I could name many more. We all
receliect the lamentable death of the late Mr. Hus-
1' • occasioned by an accident at the opening of
MS,OTI, .
the Manchester arid Liverpool Rail-road ! This
Mr. IL's will nas been proved in Doctors' Com-
mons, London, the personalty sworn to be under
i11e,men......(
60,000/., and of course, he must have been worth at
least SOU per annum, either in freehold er copyhold
property, to qualify as member of Parliament for
Liverpool; and the fact is, Mrs. H. has 600/. per
annum pension from Government for life.—
(Cries of shame, shame.) In short, I hope
i
a Reform n the Commons House of Parliament
will be effected; and that Parliament will then,
with a countenance as stern and as keen as the north
east wind, say to all these (as respects their pen-
sions, useless places, and sinecures,) drones, male
and female, young and old as Oliver Cromwell said
to
Parliament,'' be ye dissolved !" and
i will,
for once,
nce, turn clerk, and with all nay heart
sny
Applause and laughter.) But I am
trespassing upon your time, and will conclude with
sayings that if I was called upon for a motto for this
Association, I would give to it the illustrious Nelson's,
" England expects every man will do his duty."
Mr. M. then sat down amidst loud cheers. He,
however, soon rose, and said—Gentlemen ! I now
beg leave to introduce to you R. M. Beverley, Esq.,
a gentleman to whom we are greatly indebted for his
valuable exertions in forwarding- the formation of
" the York City and County Reform Association."
—(Loud cheers.)
Mr. BEVERLEY then stepped forward and said,—
Brother Reformers—lt gives me pleasure to think
that I have served an apprenticeship in the cause of
Reform, and shall henceforward work as a journey-
man. It is just seven Years since I had the honour
of first appearing in public,
at a county meeting in
1823; 1 Wit S then so young that some people ob-
jected to toy addressing the public, but young as I
was, I had the honour of shivering a lance with my
Lord Wharncliffe (Stuart Wortley), and some per-
sons say, that he was not too much for me. Be

PRICE 7D.

that as it may, I certainly had the honour of entering
the lists with him ; and it much gratifies tale fo re.
fleet, that whilst I have grown more firm in my
opinions all the time of my apprenticeship, that re-
doubtable and valorous knight has moat ludicrously
signed his recantation and joined me in the great
question of Parliamentary Reform. On that occa-
sion I wore that very cloak which I wear now, it
was cold weather then, and at the same time of the
year, but this cloak, which is now an old friend, has
since that time been on my back when I have visited
foreign countries, in some of which I have seen the
•ad effects of a want of popular representation, and
in others the glorious effect of that pure representa-
tion which all England is now seeking. In nn place
ire the good effects of such a system visible as in
France, we all know what it has done, we all know
that it thwarted a powerful and mischievous tyrant,
and compelled them to take measures to destroy
that pure representation by force; we know inovr the
struggle ended, and I will give it as my humble opi-
nion, that no country under Heaven has a more per-
foct constitution than Prance has at present; it is
' much younger in its freedom than England, but has
done much more, and I believe that under its pre.
sent good and honest King, it will rise ere long to a
moral and political pre-eminence that will put Eng-
land to the blush, in spite of the predictions of Sir
Robert Peel to the contrary.—(Applause, and cries
of " Poor England.") You may remember, bro-
thers, that the valiant knight swore a great oath at
the county meeting—he swore that he always would
oppose the cause of Reform as long H 3 he had a
drop of blood in his body. This oath of chivalry
lie had also sworn before in another place, but now
without one drop of his blood having been taken
from his noble veins, without the touch of any radi-
cal lancet, without the bite of any leech that I know
of, he comes forward uncalled for and uninvited,
just as I have served my apprenticeship, arid writes
down his noble name in the cause of Reform !
whence comes this change ? It is my opinion that
there has been a secret bleeding—a clandestine phle-
botomy, and that the noble, Reformer has bled in

his pocket and in his rents, and that his eyes have
been at lea-t opened to the truth, that if the present
state of things was not somewhat altered, he would
soon be without a shilling of rent from his landed
estates. 'When people bleed in their pockets, it
wonderfully clarifies their intellect ; it is a good and
wise cure, and I believe that in this way the Noble
Lord, and other Noble Lords, and great Squires,
have been converted lately to sec the necessity of
Reform.—(Loud cheers.) Having thus noticed our
enemies, let me tay a word about our friends. We
are at present in a better situation than we have
been for some time past in that respect, for to our
great surprise, and to the surprise of our friends
themselves, we find those gentlemen who have been
so long and hopelessly advocating Reform, them-
selves 0..11ed to the Government, with full power of
proposing that question as a Ministerial measure.
But it is one thing to advise a measure when there
is apparently no chance of carrying ir, and another
to be required to put those very measures into prac-
tice, according to one's wishes. I hope, trust, and
believe that our friends, the Mini-tern, are sincere,
but place and power wonderfully operate on the
judgment, and I must give it as my opinion that the
present disturbed state of the country is not at all
unlikely to operate strongly upon the Ministry, and to
sharpen their tools when they are working for Reform.
One speech I refer to with considerable satisfaction,
it was spoken by Mr. Brougham (now the Lord
Chancellor) on June 14, 1825. "If the legislA-
trite," said he " were he to say to the priest of some
parish, containing 500 Catholics and one Protestant,
after you are dead, there shall no longer be any
parson in the parish,' who would be injured by this ?
In the opinion that the property of the Church was
conferred by the State for the performance of cer-
tain services, and that the Legislature might deal
with it, when it was necessary for the benefit both
of the Church and of the State, he candidly agreed
with the lion. Member for Westmithter." Here

there is no obscure hint of the wishes of Henry
Brougham relating to church property—it will be
for us, brothers, to mark the difference, if any, be-
tween the views of Henry Brougham, and the views
of my Lord High Chancellor Brougham, who is
now the keeper of the King's conscience. But to
speak of less distinguished friends of Reform, I mean
the great mass of the people, let me observe of them
something which may not seem very complimentary,
but nevertheless it is the truth. I declare it to be
my belief, that the long continuance of the evils and
abuses of the country, is owing mainly to the prodi-
gious apathy and indifference of the people of Eng-
land to all constitutional questions, excepting when
they are starved into an attention to these important
subjects. In the piping times of prosperity they
are dull, careless, and listless ; in times like these
they are active enough, and arc fully alive to their
rights and privileges, ►which are unjustly withheld
from them; but if this was suck a year as the pros-
perous year 1825, I do not believe that six persons
could have been collected here this night ; and lam
moreover certain, that if the people of England had
shown themselves as determined on the question of
Reform, for any four years together, without flinch-
ing, as they have this year, that we should long ago
have gained all we want. The York C►ty and
County Reform Association afl•ords you an oppor-
tunity of redeeming your character—you may now,
by enrolling yourselves in its registers, produce a
great machine of strength, of vast importance, with-
in the next six months ; and depend upon it, that
the more persons join this Association, so much the
more shall we have advanced the cause of Reform

in this county, and this county is no inconsiderable
part of the kingdom.—(Loud applause.) And now
to the cause of Reform itself. We who are advc-

. . __—
clang that cause, declare that we only seek a re-
covery of lost rights ; those who oppose us cry out
revolution. Revolution, brothers, is a hard word.
What is revolution ? it is by no means of necessity
that horrible spectre which stalks before the ima-
gination of some persons, of guillotines, confiscations,
and dungeons ; for in most instances these horrors
have not accompanied revolutions ; but in the strict

sense of the word, revolution is " a turning round ;"
it comes from a Latin word " to turn round;" and
its primary idea may be well shown to us by the
imagery of a water-wheel, which ought always to be
going round, but which, as in the present case, is
out of order, and stands still, so that one part only
of the wheel is i❑ day-light, whilst the other is
swamped under water, till it is nearly rotten and de-
stroyed. I want the wiled to turn round; noble
lords, right reverend bishops, and honourable pen-
sion swallowers, protest against the wheel being set
at liberty. They are determined to have third; re-
main as they are—and so fearful are they of any
change, that I find the Right Reverend Prelates are
ordered by the Gazette to compose a prayer on the
present state of the country; I like such a plan very
well ; but I should like also to suggest some part of
such a prayer, for I should propose to the spiritual
barons, to compose a petition that the eyes of their
understanding might be enlightened—(Loud laugh-
ter)—to thoroughly comprehend the value of those
texts of Scripture which order the ministers of our

religion " to have neither purse, nor scrip—nor to
put any money into their purses ;" and they should
remember also, that as this command was coupled
,vith a power of casting out unclean spirits, so can
they not expert to cast out the unclean spirits of
[his country till they have first attended to the com-
mands with which this power was coupled, " This
kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting;" they

must not only pr::::;ast too —(Motelciatighter.)
- •
theye
ilan
sovfi IRI be efosroluiu lalyinipf!Phra inniietd objects
of Ft
the declaration Association,
r Cel itOonf ltVlhiich the committee has drawn up,
and which I shall immeibarrly read to vott. that I
need Rot trouble you with what would only be a re-
petition. All I can urge to you is, if you approve
of our plan, to lose no time iu joining our Associa•
tion, for as I said before I believe the next three or
four months are .big with important events for the
people of England. It is my. belief that the Mi-
nistry will be compelled to appeal to the people by
a general election. We must therefore be preparing
all our strength, to meet the borough-mongers witri
an imposing appearance.
Mr. Beverley was listened to throughout the
above, with great attention, and was often and Ind-
versany applauded in the course of his addles,. He
concluded by reading the Declaration of the Society,
as to their views and intentions, which was as fol-

lows :
DECLARATION OF THE CITY AND COUNTY
REFORM ASSOCIATION.

The York City and County Reform Association
having been formed by the union of several liberal
persons in this county, it is incumbent on its mem-
bers to declare to their fellow•countrymen the in-
tention of the Association.
The object of the Association is easily stated; it
is to seek means for remedying past evils of the
State, and to prevent their recurrence for the future.
The evils which we wish to remove, are manifest
—too great power Ken eral ly in the hands of one
class of the community—excessive taxation carried •
td IS point beyond which it it impossible to proceed
—useless and ruinous wars, in which the true inte-
rests of the country were never concerned—enor-
mous grants of the public money in- the shape of
pensions, places, sinecures, and reversions—anartnyi
irt time of peace, kept up tas full complement

. .
for most active war--grants of the public money, to
remunerate persons who never deserved remunera-
tion—splendid civil and military establishments in
the colonies and foreign provinces, far beyond what
is requialte—and a general system of extravagance
and rapacity In every department of Government,
such as never has been witnessed in any other
country in the world.
No maxim is more true than that " money is

power." Now, as money has been extorted from
the nation till its debt alone (without including the
sums expended out of the taxes) amounts to eight
hundred millions sterling, it is needless to remark
that immense power has been unduly obtained by
some persons or other in the kingdom. Who are
these persons? The Aristocracy, and the Aristo-
cracy only. For them the army, the navy, the
church, the law, the-list of pensions, places, and
sinecures, have poured forth all their treasures.—
The army is, to all intents and purposes, a machine
for the benefit of the Aristocracy; for where one man
is enabled to rise from the common ranks to tke grade
of a superior officer, a hundred gentlemen we pro-
moted to those grades merely because they can pur-
chase them, or because they have some influence
with the Members of the Government.

The same unjust system is observed in the navy ;
for though promotion is not there purchased as in
the army, yet it is notorious that young men of
family and parliamentary influence are constantly
placed over the heads of poorer sailors, who have
nothing to rely on but their talents and good cha-
racter.

Nov, as the army and navy are thus clearly two
great mines from which the higher classes of society
are enabled to extract wealth, power, and conse-
quence, is it wonderful that the Glovernmeut (which
consists always of the Aristocracy) should have, at
various times, exerted all its influence, and persuaded
the two Houses of Parliament to undertake fresh
wars ?

Thus has a mighty and unconstitutional power
risen up in the kingdom within the last forty years.
fostered by the extravagance of war, to the ruin and
perdition of the lower class of society.
With every feeling of reverence for the Christian
religion, the Association deems it its duty to state
that the. church also, by which its noxious system of
tithes, acts, as a tax upon agriculture, and an impe-
diment on industry, is not only set apart in all its
enormous emoluments for the Aristocracy, but has
constantly lent its aid to every measure opposed to
the popular wish.
How then has all this immense mass of corrup-
tion, injustice, and abuse, been created ? By the
House of Commons. The House of Commons,
falsely called an aggregate of the popular representa-
tion, though it is in reality the most powerful engine
for increasing and consolidating the power of the
Aristocracy ; as the entire creation of the national
debt too clearly proves, and as every man in England
feels, to his cost, who does not belong to that party
which is reaping the benefit of the present grievou►
syst em._ _ _

The following table we offer to our countrymen,
as showing at one view, the influence of the Arii-
tocracy over that llouße which ought to be, and
always is called, the House of the Representatives
of the People:— _