The Sun.
London, England, 1849-05-23 00:00:00

stet, e. that when food was cheapest wages were invariably
higri est. During the late period of distress he thoukthii.
the wauking classes had conducted themselves admirab.e,,,c,
and thought if they continued to do so, cud unit 51
toged ier, that the higher classes would no longer he al de
to starid against them.—(Cheers.) He thought they wE ire
entitle d to their heartiest and strongest coueratulati, )n.
He tell glad that had had an opportunity of givi ag
his most hearty adhesion to this movement, and end ea-
yourir, g to prevail upon every one to give their sup! ion
to it.- -(Cheers.) He believed that if the associa bon
pursued its course with vigour and energy all the• elec tors
for the counties of Engler d would be secured t o it, and
afford tt`lem great aid in carrying ont their great object .
Dr. LoNGSTAFF then came forward to support the re-
solutior . Taxation was the beginning, the middle, and
the end of all conversations. With respect to poli tics,
the present House of Commons,tinstead of conside ring
how th ey should lighten the burthens of taxatic non the
working classes, bad done all they could to fix: saxa Lion
upon them, and to remove it from themselves.—(Chet rs.)
Direct taxation was not popular ; why? bee Ruse he
believed it was not properly understood.—(Chee.rs.)
With respect to indirect taxation, that o ecuri ed
in the Excise and Customs, and it was 1 throul;h
them ,hat the Government had put their hands
into the pockets of the people.—(Loud ch eers.)
He maintained that direct taxation was the
proper taxation to be placed upon the people.--(Ch eers.)
When the tax-gatherer came for the taxes upt En his
horses and carriages, and so on, he knew what b a was
paying to the State.—(Cheers.) He would put it to the
meeting whether this country would have tolerate d the
tax upon tea if it had been honestly collected a t the
grocer's shop door.—(Cheers.) So much for the Cus-
toms.—(Cheers.) He would now advert to the Es :cise.
He was prepared to maintain that theiExcise.regula rions
advanced the price of soap by 2id. a pound. They in-
terfered with the operations of the manufactures, an d it
was high time that the system was changed. How was
that change to be brought about ? Why, in this simple
manner, by securing a change in the Perliamentery
representation, and he had therefore great pleasure in
supporting this association.—(Hear, heat.)
Mr. WILSON said the working classes had been com-
plimented for their goodness, but when h e remembered.
that in the last year a million of people died of absolute
starvation, it did seem to him that as the working classes
had evinced very little sympathy for the sufferings of
Ireland, they were not deserving of compliment.
(Oh, oh.)
Mr. LAWRENCE HEYWORTH, M.P., also spoke in favour
of direct taxation. At present 35,000,0001. were ex-
torted from the pockets of the pour man, and, o f course,
he was therefore obliged to consume less of the articles
of consumption, so reducing the productive powers of this
country. A system of direct taxation would remove all
this evil, and he hoped shortly to see it adopted.—(at tar.)
He admired the universal suffrage which existed in
France, and he thought the peace of the country and
the firmness of the government at that moment solely
depended upon it.—(Cheers.) But what had Fraa'ce
done on the score of economy ? Nothing.—(Heat .)
With direct taxation, lacevever, much might have
been accomplished in that res,pect.—(Hear, hear.) Sup-
posing there was a direct hex of 10 per cent. in this
country. would not the nobility—some of whom had
300,0001. a year—feel some reltectance in paying their
quota to the tax-gatherer? ---( Hear, hear.) And
if they complained, would not the working
classes complain also ? Would not the working,
man inquire into the way in which his money was ex-
pended by the State?—(Cheers.) Did they think there
would be any sinecures? No, Sir, ever y man would be a.
watch-dog upon the acts of the Govern meat.—(Cheers.)
Direct taxation recommended itself is every light.—
(Hear, hear.) Then with respect to universal suf-
frage, he had advocated it ever since he was able to,
speak—(Hear, hear)—and if there were an universal.
expression of opinion among the men of England for
universal suffrage, it must inevitably be conceded to,
them.—(Cheers.) He looked upon those who taxed.
him, without his having a voice in Parliams .nt, as no-
thing but thieves.—(Loud cheers.)
The CHAIRMAN then apologised for the absence
of Mr. George Thompson, who was preve eted ad-
dressing the meeting in consequence of having
to attend his duties in the House of Comm cues. Mr..
Roebuck had expressed his intention of being present,
but no doubt some unavoidable circumstance bad pre-
vented him. He might assure the meeting, I ic.wever,
that none was more sound upon the question , est issue
than Mr. Roebuck.—(Loud cheers.)
The resolution was then put to the meeting, and car-
ried with great cheering.
Mr. D. WIRE proposed the third resolution—" That
in the opinion of this meeeting the Commons' H 'owe
of Parliament, as at present constituted, repres exits
neither the population, the property, nor the industie V of
the country; that the election of its Members has in nu-
merous instances been the result of bribery and corr op-
tion—(Cheers)—coercion and intimidation;—(Chee rs)
--that the electoral distributions present the m
in-
trous anomaly of a few hundred voters in some distri, is
returning as many Members as several thousand cons ti-
tuents in other districts; that the Reform Act has totally
failed to realise the expectations of the country or to
harmonise with the spirit of the age—(Hear, hear)—
and that therefore a large extension of the franchise, a
complete independence in its exercise by enemas of the
ballot—(Cheers)—a more equal apportionment of re-
presentatives to population—(Hear, hear)--and the
limitation of Parliament to three years—(Hear, hear)—
become not only measures of common justice, but also
of prudence and safety." (Loud cheers.) Thal,
cheer, he thought, would do instead of a spec eh.—
(No, no.) The resolution deducad a consequence, and
pointed to a remedy. Was it a fact that the Hous aof
Commons, as at present constituted, represented the.
population, the property, or the intelligence of i hey
country?—(No.) He had only to look to the Membi tre
who made up that body, and the investigations of commi
it-
tees to deduce that the House of Commons did not do s
Look at Harwich. Why Harwich, with its 120 elector 5,
returned two Members, whilst the Tower Hamlets, wit.ta
a population of 24,000, returned no greater number.
Harwich and a number of other sirnilareplaces should
be put in schedule A. What was the result of having such
places as Harwich? That the electors were intimidated,
because they were bribed and coerced. Like Sudbury,
it had been a place of corruption from the beginning--
it fairly stunk in the nostrils—(Laughter)—it was all
over corruption.—(Laughter.) This showed there must
be an equitable division of electoral districts, in o: der
to obtain a fair representation of the House of
Commons.(Cheers.) Eighty-six Members were sent
to Parliament by a less number of voters than the con-•
stituency of the Tower Hamlets, and those who were
sent to Parliament by such constituencies did not repre-
sent the people, but their own interests.—(Cheers.)
Hence it was that the Whigs sought the support of
those who represented pocket boroughs and their own
interests; and if they looked at those who either got
places for themselves or their families, they would
find that they consisted of this class.—(Hear, hear.)
Lord John Russell, he thought, would not even deny that
the Reform Bill had failed. For the present detective
state of representation there was no remedy but the
better apportionment of electoral, divisions; if this
were done such constituencies could not be
bribed, intimidated, or coerced. They had
received an excellent lecture upon political
economy from Mr. Williams, who had on all occasions
supported Mr. Hume, when in the House, and whom
he hoped soon to see there again.—(Loud cheers.) He
had told them that the poor paid in taxes seventy-
five per cent, more than the rich. Ought it to be
endured, that those who were least able should be
subjected to such a burden, whilst the wealthier
classes - were comparatively untaxed?—(Loud cheers.)
The reason was apparent—it was in the present syseem
of election. Let them reform their Parliament—
(Cheers)—extend their suffrage, equalise their electoral
districts, and they would soon get financial reform.—
(Cheers.) He was glad to see that the people were now
beginning to be alive to the fact that direct taxation was
better than indirect taxation. Who, he would ask, ought
to have the most interest in the Legislature? Why,
the men who paid the most to the tax. He did not ace
many bankers, if any, present—(Cheers)—but they
would come when they found the cause triumphant—
(Cheers)—and then they would say, see what we have
done.—(Cheers.) The poor man, under the present
system, paid 75 per cent. in taxation, while the rich
banker paid only 15.—(Cheers, and cries of
" Shame.") If direct taxation was adopted,
when the grocer asked for the half-crown
and the 9d. which was to be paid as a tax upon sugar and
tea, he would naturally be asked what it was for, and he
would say for the exigencies of the state, and the party
that was to be taxed would say, the exigencies of the
state! What do you mean by that? Do you moan to
carry on an unjust war to put down the rising liberties
of the people—(Cheers)--by the exigencies of the state?
Did they mean the keeping up an army to put down the
people. Exigencies of the state! did they mean Lady
A., who lived in Hampton Palace, and who could not pay
taxes, and was exempt from them?—(Cheers.) They
would soon provide for the exigencies of the state if they
did two things—put down the spirit of war, disband their
army and dismiss their navy.—(Cheers.) He was glad
that the Reform Association was to embrace all classes,
the Whig and Tory. Sir R. Peel had made a declaration
that he could never get over, namely, that they had
taxed the people to the utmost verge of enduranee.
—(Cheers.) He knew that that was true, and let them
take care to make him know it was so.—(Cheers.) No
doubt the Whigs would one day turn round and assist
them. Lord John Russell, when he felt the cold side of
opposition, would again become the leader of the
people. Let there be no disunion. Lot them depend
upon themselves in unity. If the Chartists would
join the association they would be aiding
their own cause. True, the Chartists went
beyond this association, but was a man who was going
100 miles beyond Bath to refuse to ride in another car-
riage because he only went as far as Bath? The error
of the Chartists was that they had fallen into bad com-
pany, and there physical, instead of a moral force, had
been preached. Let them now feel as he felt, and they
would abandon their ill advisers and join this association.
True, it did not sly that there should be universal suf-
frage, but itdid not say there should not. It defined exactly
what was practical now, and he invited the Chartists to
take this proposal as an instalment of their own plan.
Th*ru was an old adage, that short reckonings made very
Lees friends.—(flear, hear.) They, therefore, asked to
limit Parliament to three years, in order that constitu-
ents might be better aequ tinted with their representa-
tives, and the representatives have their virtue kept
fresh by the necessity of accounting constantly to their
constituents.—(Cheers.) He was rejoiced at the meeting,
because he saw in it the beginning of that movement
which ought to have commenced and continued long ago,
and he assured them, that if they made their motto,
" Union among yourselves," they might bid defiance to
all who opposed them,—(Loud cheers.)
Mr. REYNOLDS, of weekly journal notoriety, next ad-
dressed the meeting. He maintained that every individual
who performed the duties and bore the burdens of a
citizen had a right to be represented in the House of
c 913211104.9, It W 43 /Aid that property was the real qua-