The Sun.
London, England, 1838-06-11 00:00:00

THE WORKING CLASSES.

We borrow the following article, abridged from a publics-
ti33 called Cleave's Penny Gazette, because we think the in-
formation contained in it, relative to the present disposition of
the working classes, ought to be known to the upper classes,
who ought also to ponder deeply over Mr. Cleave's assertiors.
His authority can in no other wise be disputed, for he mingles
with the classes he describes, and is one of them, than that it
may be supposed he places too high the point of intelligence
which the masses have already obtained. At the same time
there can be no doubt but that they are moving in the direc-
tion described by Mr. Cleave ; and possibly those illembzrs of
the House of Commons who lately had an opportunity of
hearing the evidence given by the Glasgow weavers to the
Committee, tilting to inquire into Combinations and Trades'
Unions, may suppose that his description is by no means ex-
aggerated. He says—

There is a notion abroad that the present is a time of remarka!,le
apathy, in relation to political matters, There is no indication of
strong feeling or excitement in the minds of the masses, and hence su.
perficial observers, and those in whom 'the wish is father to the thought,'
conclude that all is indifTerence, if not absolute contentment, on the
part of those who have upon former occasions, and at certain crisis in
the world political, assumed a position and put forth a manifestation of
purpose that have made the powers against whom they have been
directed quail before them.
Never, perhaps, was there a greater mistake than the one to which
we now refer; for never before did the great bulk of the people—the
working classes in this great community—form so just an estimate of
both their natural and artificial position in society, and never were
they before so intently occupied in devising measures to make the latter
more nearly approach to the former, as they are now. The current, it
is true, does not dash along with so much impetuosity and vio-
lence as it has done in times that are past, foaming in its
madness, and threatening to break through the embankments and carry
devastation and ruin into the country around it. But it has not, there.
fore, become stagnant and putrid. It pours forth the same or a still
larger volume of waters; but having made for itself a deeper and broader
channel, it rolls itself along into the great ocean to which it tends, with
less apparent force, but with a really greater momentum.
Mankind in general are observant enough of any great or sudden
movement that takes placo in society, but they are for the most part
lansentahly demented as to the progress of mind, which is the natural
consequence of social intercourse, and as to those indications of intellec-
tual growth, and correspondent enlargements of purpose which are

silently and solemnly put forth in the moral bearing and pursuits of
those who are the subjects of the process.
If any one will take the trouble of looking into the matter—and it is

well worth the ttouble—he w1:1 find that the apparent indifference of the
class of persons of whom we are now speaking, to passing events in the
political world, arises, not out of any insensibility to what is going on
around them, but out of a very different feeling. The fact is, they have
less of animal impulse and more of saber judgment than they formerly
had. They do not think less than they did, but they think more deeply
and silently. They do not suffer less than they did from the effects of
partial legislation and maladministration, but they have changed their
mode of seeking relief from the evils arising out of these sources. For..
merly they occupied themselves in seeking the mitigation of those evils
in detail; now their attention is directed to the higher and more effec-
tual object, of correcting the circumstances from whence they spring.
There is not the slightest abatern-nt of the discontent with which they
have long brooded over their condition, nor the smallest diminution of
their resolution to place themselves upon a footing of perfect equality
with the more politically favoured of their follow-subjects. But instead
of raising an outcry for the aid of others, to effect their enfranchisement,
they are strenuously, and without unnecessary display, but with great
unanimity of purpose, moving forward for the attainment of their object
by themselves.

The formation and operation of such a Society as " The Working
Men's Association" in the metropolis, with its kindred and daily increas-
ing associations throughout the United Kingdom, afford much stronger
proof of the political discontent of the masses, and of their deep resolve
to achieve an equality of rights with the classes above them, than large
public meetings or noisy declamation could possibly afford.
The mechanics of legislation, as well as its theory, have occupied the
attention of the Working Men's Association ; and it has given ample
proof of its capabilities for undertaking even this—the most difficult
branch of the science—in the production of a Bill to provide for the just
representation of the people of Great Britain in the Common's House of
Parliament, embracing ail the cardinal virtues of a sound radical creed,
Tills outline of the Bill is comprised in "the People's Charter." Jo
this Bill provisions will be found to have been made for realizing the
great and important measures of" universal suffrage, no property qua-
lification, annual Parliaments, equal representation, payment of Mem-
hers, and vote by ballot ;" thus forming " a concentration of Radical
princip:es in a practical form," upon which the Radicals of the kingdom
may be brought " to unite, and to which they may point, as a Charter
they are determined to obtain

All honour! say we, to the Association—the abused of renegade
Radicals, who prostitute for paltry pelf the powers of their intellect
on behalf of Tory corruption—in whose enlightened labours have origi.
need one of the most important State papers of modern times.

We have seen the publication called the" People's Charter,"
and it is one of the most remarkable indications both of the
literary talent which is now at the service of the working
classes, and of the quiet and steadfast resolution by which they
are working their way to success, which has yet fallen under
our notice. It is a well.drawn Bill, or " outline of an Act to
provide for the just representation of the people in Parliament,"
such as would do honour to the most experienced Bill drawer
at the command of the Ministry, or in either house of Parlia-
ment, and is calculated to reflect much discredit on the clumsy
bungling manner in which the statutes are usually drawn.
We shall not say any thing of its contents, further than that it
er&aadies into a judiciously worded law, the principles of Uni-
versal Suffrage, Equal Representation, Short Parliaments,
end Vote by Ballot ; and that it has been or is to be distributed
amongst all the Workine• Men's Associations of the Empire—
to be discussed, amended,' approved of, and ultimately to be, if
ever possible, carried into etl'ect as the " People's Charter."
It is, as Mr. Cleave says, one of the most important state
napery of modern times. These facts we consider worthy of
being known to all classes, and we leave them without any
comment to the consideration of our readers.

We must, indeed, notice that the publication from which
we obtain the information is unstamped, and that the stamped
newspapers are still exposed to a competition with a great
body of periodical journals which have all the interesting fea-
tures of a newspaper except the cloven hoof of the Treasury.
For this there is no remedy but the total abolition of the
stamp duty ; and we should hope that the remedy may ere
low* be applied. When the Chancellor of the Exchequer
reduced the duty to a penny he alleged, and justly we be-
lieve, that he was willing to abolish the duty, but would be
unable to carry such a measure through Parliament. He
proposed the reduction as a compromise between the public
desire for cheap news, and the bigotted opi.osition of the
country gentlemen under the influence of the priesthood, to
the progress of knowlee.ge. But now that the Canterbury tra-
gedy has made known the dense i,,,rr.,,ance and fanaticism which
proved the inefficiency of clerical instruction, we should like to
see, in either House of Parliament, the bold bad man, who
would ever again stand up to maintain the fragment of a rr-
striction on the freest circulation of newspapers. The tragedy
at Canterbury is one of the mischievous results of the stamps
on the press ; and the stamps on the press were dictated by
that desire which is common to squires and parsons—to lay
Lords and spiritual Lords—to make the rest of mankind sub-
servient to their purposes, end keep them in a healthy state of
burden-bearing ignorance.

The Tories are not to have it all their own way in
the election of Sheriff's fur the City cf London. Mr. Alderman Thomas
Wood is mentioned as a candidate in oppusiticu to Mr. Ambrose Moose.

Tato', SUN, LONDON, MOit*DA I', JUNI ii, 108.