The Sun.
London, England, 1831-11-07 00:00:00

'as a clerk, or only 80/. as a weaver. The Constitu-
tion of England, and every constitution founded by
reasonable mett---TottsehaVe a reference, in the distri-
bution of political rights and franchises, to something
of a more fixed and stable nature than the accident
of how a citizen may happen to support himself or
family, on any given day in the year. The true
principle on which to meet and form political resolu-
tions, is for. every man to join his neighbours, in
town, borough, parish, &c.,—no matter what may
be his particular degree, or theirs._ -With them he
has a common and lasting interest, and one which
will be respected by the country at large; inasmuch
as the several orders of men in all cities, parishes,
and so forth, in the kingdom, must have their
community constituted and divided pretty much
alike,—and their general wants assimilated. For one
body of men, marking themselves out from the whole
people by a badge or name, and that determined by
a particular employment, which they may.be en-
gaged in to-day and abandon the day after,—for such
men to assume to themselves the attributes and
claims of a definite and permanent order in the Slate,
is the sure way to draw upon themselves the jealousy
of all the rest, and to sow the seeds of a most
dangerous confusion. We do trust, therefore, that
once relinquished, the political meeting of the
" working classes" may not be resumed. It is a
new variety of political monster. The resolutions
proposed for the acceptance of that at White Con.
duit-house, shows clear enough what sort of motives
animate, arid what sort of intelligence guides, the
leaders of the crew. Universal suffrage, annual Par
!laments, the vote by ballot, and the abolition of all
hereditary honours and distinctions, formed items in
the precious catalogue. Property was no longer to
constitute a qualification, either for representative or
elector ; moral and intellectual fitne;s ! being the
only one which the working chiefs of the " working
classes" would tolerate. Then who was to judge
of the moral and intellectual fitness of every man in
society ? Why, the " working class," to be sure ;
in other words, the brawling demagogue of a Spa-
fields mob was to be dictator of Great Britain. And
they were to be " armed," too,—and yet to conceal
their arms; and it was all for the sake of being able
to knock down or shoot any " improper characters !"
who might furtively join them at the meeting.—Oh
the sweet innocents ! What a pretty scheme! Tt.e
Sussex meeting affords one more (superfluous) proof
of the sentiment which pervades the whole country
on the question of Reform. It was the singular
happiness of this meeting; to enjoy the presence of
Mr. George Dawson, who,r
with the accustomed
success of his clique, foreboded " all the horrors of
the French revolution" from the measure taken by
the people of England to make revolution impos-
sible.—Times.

The threatened meeting of what was denominated " the
working classes," but which would not have consisted of
the working classes, but of persons who profess an interest
different from that of the community, is, we are most
happy to state, postponed for the present, and this day,
on which it was appointed to have taken place, will, we
trust pass over without any attempt to disturb the public
peace. Should any be, however, made, every prepara-
tion has been made to give the rioters a warm reception.
The new police is thoroughly prepared and organized—
large bodies of troops are ready to act, on the signal
being given for their assistance ; while in almost every
parish so many special constables have been sworn in to
carry his Majesty's proclamation into effect, that though
the whole of the police and the soldiery were withdrawn, I
no breach of the peace or outrage upon property could
possibly be successful. The conflict, in fact, bad the pro-
moters of disorder, sedition, and tumult held their meeting
to-day, could not have been of a moment's duration,
though it might have led to many melancholy results;
but it is far better that it should not have taken place,
and while we are inclined to thank the Government for
having, by its judicious counsels, produced this salutary
resu:t, we would fain also entertain the hope that a more
sane view of their actual position, and of the interests of
the country, will now be taken by those who ardently
promoted the meeting, but did not see to what " base
uses" it was intended to convert their presence at it.
There never was assuredly a more obnoxious attempt made
in any country, or one more likely to prove injurious, not
only to the interests of the Reform Bill, which has still
enough to struggle with, but to the interests of the work-
ing classes, than that of endeavouring to draw a line
of distinction between them and the other classes of
society—a line which is no where perceptible, except be-
tween what may be termed the whole of the community,
and those who live upon the profits of inherited estate s
or acquired capital, and which would, therefore, have bees
as absurd as it is wholly uncalled for. Some of the pro-
moters of the meeting, of whom it is but justice to state
that they denied all idea of aiding in any breach of the
peace, will say that the Reform Bill will do them no good,
inasmuch as it confines the elective franchise to ten-pound
householders; but this is a gross fallacy ; for what
will benefit the ten-pound householder must also
benefit those who only pay five pounds, in every
thing in which a reform in the representation of the
people can possibly benefit the former. Is not the ten-
pound householder as likely to stickle for reform in the
church, and a reform in the state—for a reduction of al!
unnecessary pensions, salaries, and sinecures,— or rather
more likely—than those who pay no direct taxes, and are
only indirectedly interested in the reduction of abuses and
taxes ? But it is needless to argue the matter farther ;

for while it is the interest of the community, that a
body, not quite amounting to one thousand persons,
should not have the power of ruling over it, because

•
it is the interest of such a small body to conspire and to
act for its own interest only, it must be equally evident
that an elective constituency, such as that to which the
Bill will give bitch, can never possess any such exclusive
interest—that it cannot conspire, in consequence of its
numbers, and that, from the same cause, it cannot by
possibility rob the public treasury, as it has been robbed
hitherto, without robbing itself. Finally, let those who
style themselves the working anises reflect upon the
difficulties with which the present Bill has had, and
has still, to contend, and learn from it, that however
just in principle universal suffrage may be, it is an utter
impossibility that any Bill authorising it should pass into
a law, until the other has first been granted, without
being accompanied by murder, spoliation, and all the bar-
barities which are comamn to revolutions effected byforce,
and not by the authority of reason. Since writing the
above, we have received the following communication.
We have only to regret that the same light which has
now burst in upon its author, did not fall upon his eye at
some earlier period of the week, and thus have saved the
metropolis from much alarm, as well as from no small de-
gree of anxiety and trouble. As the projected meeting has
been postponed, the special constables sworn in, in the
different parishes of the metropolis and its neighbourhood,
will nut, we presume, be called upon to act ; but it would,
nevertheless, we think, be highly improper to discharge
them during the present excited state of the public mind.

—MW WAKLErs ADDRESS.
TO THE MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL UNION OF THE USEFUL
CLASSES.

Friendg and Fellow Countrymen,

46 THE MEETING for THIS DAY iS POSTPONED by YOUR, COM-
MITTEE. Let me implore you to attend to their voice, which is
that of SEASON and PRUDENCE, for the horrid agents of the san-
guinary boroughmongers intend to make you the victims of a
plot for the forcible overthrow of the Government, and the entire
destruction of peace and social order.
4, A, your objects are, equal laws, equal justice, and the perma-
nent establishment of liberty, listen not to the deceitful and trai-
torous tongues of your enemies, but spurn every wretch who
would urge you to a violation of the laws. Be PATIENT, be
PEACEABLE, but be FIRM, and relax not one moment in your ra-
tional exertions to obtain the full blessings of freedom. Remem-
ber that TILE KING himself, is on your side, and has declared him-
self unequivocally for REFORM. Attend no meeting which your
Coinmittee may desire you to avoid, And you will ever find a
faithful and zealous friend in " THOMAS WAKLEE.
" Bedford-square, Monday morning." —Morning Advertiser.

We have devoted so much space to the three classes of
Reformers (if indeed they be three), his Majesty's Mini-
sters, Mr. Wakley, and the other leaders of the Union and
their hasty followers, who are slid to have provided them-
selves with arms without the sanction of their leaders, that
we cin spare but little for a fourth class, whom the
second of the two meetings to which we have alluded
introduces to our notice. 'ibis is the lees, however, tl3
be regretted as this class of Reformers, the Reformers of
the Whig and Burdett school, were always contemptible in
feeling and motive, and, now that they have separated
themselves from the It-formers of the lower orders, are
ie:ei
tula
jell r)
s,
of
Ncontemptiblevestmi,ister,inthepoin,
partisans of•
paint of The house-
he
wily revo-
lutionist Burdett, have had a snug meeting to themselves,
a hole-and-corner meeting, for the vain purpose of striving
to rescue themselves and their hero from the deep degrada-
tion into witch they feel themselves to have been cast by
the triumph of Alr.Wakley and the labouring classes over the
lofty pretensions of this aristocracy of tailors, shoemakers,
and pawnbrokers; and the result is, that they mean to
establish a Political Union of their own, first obtaining
for it the sanction of a public meeting, if they dare ven-
ture, which we predict they never will, to call one. They
are too squeamish to join the Union of the labouring classes,