The Sun.
London, England, 1840-03-02 00:00:00

VENING EDITION.

0 L Li !i A 3r.1 • T

.r.ftEAT DEMONSTR e.1.10N OF THE WORK-
' lIG CLASSES AGAINST CORN-LAWS
—ATTEMPT OF THE TORIES TO BRIBE
THE CHARTISTS TO CREATE CONFUSION.
The, largest public meeting ever held within doors in
Wolverhampton took place on Tuesday last. It was a
meeting called exclusively by the working men, eio of
whom addressed a requisition to their fellow-workmen,
calling upon them to meet for the purpose of petitioning
i for the total and immediate repeal of the Corn- laws. The
use of the public office was granted for the occasion, and
t the hour was fixed for seven in the evening. Long be-
; fere that time, however, crowds were observed proceeding
\ to the appointed place, and before the appointed hour the.
Iroom, which is the largest in the town, was completely
filled Crowds upon crowds, however, continued still to
arrive, filling the street, waiting anxiously till the heated
state of the room had compelled some to retire, and then
limmediately taking their places, or else exerting them.
selvee and incommoding others in the vain endeavour to
obtain admittance. Precisely at seven o'clock, Mr.
Robert Willcock, a tin-plate worker, and a man much
respected by all classes, was called to the Chair (which
office he very ably filled), and the businees of the meeting
i commenced.
In the first instanci there was some little interruption,
owing to the very crowded state of the room within, and
to the " pressure from without." There was an effort made
to procure an adjournment to some place in the open air,
but as this was construed by the meeting, we believe erro-
neously, into an attempt to defeat its objects. it was
Indignantly refused. By degrees the •ast assembly set-
tled down into something like order, which was maintained
to the close, notwithstanding the "hot-pressing" they un-
derwent. The speeches delivered were excellent, and
would have done honour to any assembly. They were
characterised by a just appreciation of the monstrous evils
which are inflicted by these Devil's-laws, by indignation at
the conduct of the grasping landowners, in thus plunder-
ing and starving an industrious people, and by a firm de-
termination to resist to the utmost such robbery, to obtain
if possible justice from the lawmakers, and not to submit
to what they denominated tyranny, except upon compul-
sift. There was no violence, no ravings about physical
force as an instrument for the redress of wrongs; all was
calm, orderly, legal, but determined. The workmen there
assenibed invoked the assistance of their fellow-workmen all
over the kingdom in this their attempt to obtain justice.
They stated that they were in distress, and they implored
their aid to obtain untaxed food for their families; they
stated that if this aid was afforded them, there could be no
doubt of the result ; that if other towns would only exhibit
the same determination, and concentrate their efforts upon
this point, there would be no doubt of their power to
wring from the Legislature, however reluctant, the right
tO sell their labour to those who would give them most
food in return.
All this is exceedingly creditable to the working men
of Wolverhampton. Such a rneeting as the present does
more in reality to advance the cause of an extension of the
suffrage, than all the clamour of the Chartists. It proves
that the workmen of Wolverhampton, at least, are deserv.
ing of votes, becouse they are capable of exercising them.
I Contrast this meeting, notwithstanding the bribes and ex-
citement to violence of the so-called " upper classes "
ifwhich we are about to expose, with the late meeting of the
county of Midsiesex, where the Tories were so disorderi!,
, as to hare the riot act read in a room, and then let an
one ask which was the more orderly, the more respectable,
the inure worthy of bring entrusted with power ?
There was, however, an attempt made to disturb the
meeting at Wolverhampton, which is highly disgraceful to
the parties concerned. Durinw the week chick preceded
the meeting, bills were plentifully posted over the town,
stating that various resoitnions and amendments would ce
moved ; one bill, in particular, purported to emanate from
the Chartists ; it called upon " Britons to arouse them
selves ;" it designated the object of meeting as " The
Anti-Corn-law humbug;" it dwelt upon the rights of the
People, and that " taxation without representation was
tyranny." All this was voluntarily denied by the known
hartists of the .town, as they stated that they approved
of the meeting, and had no wish to disturb its
peace; and subsequent events have proved that
It issued from the Tories of Wolverhampton. The
object was to produce disturbance, and at any risk to
cause the meeting to end in tumult. It is a fact that can
be substantiated, that bribes were actually offered by cer-
tain Tories to Chartists to induce them to move and sup-
.port an amendment, and to the credit of the working men
of the town they were refused. The base Tories, how-
ever, found one man " whose poverty and not hk
will conseeited," and him they made their tool upon th -
occasion. Upon the petition being put by the Chairman,
he rose• to move an amendment, and proceeded to speaL
upon Universal Suffrage, and the usual Chartist topics,
when a . scene of indescribable uproar ensued.
It was in vain that the Chairman and the requisitionists ex-
erted themselves to obtain him a hearing. The meeting
scouted the attempt. Ho was received with shouts of
" Bribed, bribed !" with hisses, and groans, and execra-
tions; and, after a considerable time, was compelled to
desist. There were many Chartists at the meeting, but
they honestly refused to become the tools of the Tories ;
they stated that they adhered to their opinions, but they
were not to be bribed into the advoescy of dear bread.
With the exception above mentioned the meeting pass, d
off vary peaceably, the only other interruption coming from
a small knot of people styling themselves " Operative
Conservatives," who intruded themselves there, and did all
le their power to prevent others from hearing, till a threat
of oxpaision, accompanied by very significant movements,
seduced these conceited gentry to their native insignitl-
-

This attempt to bribe the Chartists, on the part of the
Tories. must recoil upon the party to their utter disgrace.
Who could have thought it possible that the self-styled
Conservatives could have descended so low as to pander
to those whom they regard as the disturbers of society ?
Is it possible for degradation to be deeper ? Here was e
meeting called for a legitimate object, and the Tories would
rather that they should triumph whose views, if carried
out would, they believe, result in the disorganization c.
of society, than that honest men should get their rights
They prefer bribing people to create confusion to coming
openly to state their own opinions. Such conduct is as
insult to the working men, whose meeting they would have
disturbed, and it is a disgusting exhibition of the foulness
of party spirit.
We give below the petition agreed to at the meeting ;
it is couched in language seldom heard in St. Stephens's.
" PETITION
" To tie Honourable the Commons of Greet Britain ant.
Ireland in Parliament assembled,
" The bumble petition of the working men of Wo.,
verhampton, in the county of Stafford, in public
meeting assembled,
" Showeth,—That your petitioners have ion; endured and
still suffer the greatest deprivations and hariships arisitig
from a reduced rate of wages, and an incres4ed price of
font, and which they attribute to a limited demand for
their laboar, and a contracted supply of the first necessartee
of life,
" That your petitioners are perfectly satisfied that the
Corsi-laws are the direct and immediate cause, of this state
of suffering ; and that they cannot but consider the in-
creased price of food, occasioned by the Corn-laws, a direct
ro'obery of the working classes for the benefit of the land-
owners.
g That your petitioners deprecate all legislation for class
interests, moro particularly what is called the Agricultural
Interest; inasmuch as it stands least in need of any protec-
tion, the demand for agricultural produce being unitortn
and certain ; and moreover, this being an importing coun-
try, it mast necessarily always be the dearest market for
all descriptions of food.
'• Teat our petitioners moat humbly, yet firmly, declare
that the• eeuld willingly obey the laws fir the sake of
law tied order, add for the ..vell-beieg of society ; but con-
sidering tee Corn-laws, as they do, a direct robbery of the
workieg cla'ses, they can only submit to it from physical
force, us they would of necessity submit to any other
tyranny.
" That your petitioners had hoped that the Reform Bill
would have so altered the constitution of your Honourable
House, as would have led to an immediate repeal of the
Corn-laws ; but seeing, as they do, that although the Re-
form Bill has now been passed seven years, yet this incubus
on the labour of the nation is still pressing the people into a
state of misery and insubordination; they cannot, therefore,
but conclude the Bill has altogether failed in itegreat object',
and that the landowners have still an undue influence in
elections, and to . great a preponderance in your Honoura-
ble House, for the safety and just interests of the rest of the
community.
" Your petiticners, therefore, humbly pray your H mour-
able Haase will immediately and totally repeal the Corn-
laws. Anti your petitioners will ever pray.

-----
COMMISSION OF LUNACY.—On Wednesday
the proceedings under a 'writ de lunatico inquirendo, for the, purpose of aseertaining the state of mind of John Alexander
Weir, F.,q.' of l'ope's Hall, Lenham, Kent, and now an inmate
of Weston House Lunatic Asylum, St. Pancras, were brought
to a conciwi It. The inquiry occupied three wh-de days, and
a great number of witnesses were examined. Mr. Hotherin,_ ton appeared in support of the Commission, and Mr. Heath-
field on behalf of Mr. Weir, and almost throughout the whole
of the investigation the unfortunate gentleman was present,
and conducted himself in an apparent!' rational manner. It
appeared that his insanity was produced by intemperance.
Mr. Heatlitield, in an ingenious address on behalf of Mr. Weir,
attributed his acts to the folly of a seaman to indulge in frolics
while under the influence of liquor, and to the ill-treatment he
had experienced since his return to England. The Chief Com-
missioner summed up at considerable length, and the Ju-v re-
tired to consider their verdict. After an absence of about
half an hour, they returned into Court, and Richard Carpen.
ter, Esq., the foreman, announced that twelve of his brother
Jarors had come to verdict finding Mr. Weir now of unsound
mind, and incapable of governing himself and his property, and
that he had been so since the 4th of October, 1839, and that
the remaining four Jurors dissented from the verdict. It being
only necessary to obtain a verdict of twelve, the inquisition
recording him insane was then made out and signed.
THE LATE AFFAIR AT DLINKERTON.—The
Rev. C. F. Bampfylde denies a statement which has been
pablished. that the two sufferers at. Dunkerton (the gardener
and his wife) " are still lingering in *.he uncertainty of reco-
' very er death, and with means wholly exhausted either tot sub-
sistence or medical aid." The Rev. Gentleman has weekly
paid them since, the same wages ,s he did p.-ior to, the dread-
' ful occurrence, and intends to do so.
EXTRAORDINARY MORTA LITY IN CEIORLEY.
—lt is an appalling fact that the number of deaths in Charley,
sues the Ist of. January last, i 3 100, white in the whole of the
eight preceding months, there were only 92 deaths. The pre-
vailing epidemic has in several instances terminated fatally.
Boitan Free Press.
CLITHEROL—Mr. Fort, the Member for Cli-
theroe, has recently issued an address to the electors of that
borough, in contradiction of a rumour which has been circu-
lated, to the effect that it was not his intention again to offer
kinsself as a candidate, in the event of a general election.
CAItLTON HOUSE.—The Duke and Duchess
of Leiseter's grand fete, in honour of the Marquis of Kildare
attaining his majority, is fixed for the 30th inst. After the
brilliant festivities in preparation the Duke and Duchess will
leave for Carlton-terrace, for the season. Lady Caroline Stan-
, hope. Lord William Fitzgerald, and Lord Gerald Fitzgerald,
ar the family circle at present on a visit to the Duke and
anch"-•