The Sun.
London, England, 1841-05-20 00:00:00

lation would go on submitting to it ? When justice
was refused to - them there . was danger, and great
danger, that it would ,give rise to the thought, whe-
. then- they could not .piovide for. themselves. • They
might say, „if the ,soutlr;' the east, and the west, the
agricultural parts of the country, were determined to
persevere, let us try what we can do for ourselves.
They might talk of having a legislature in Manchester,
as Mr. O'Connell taked of one in Dublin. He did not
mean to say this would be a good thing, far from it ;
but he wished to sound the voice of alarm at an early pe-
riod, to prevent the people being-driven to such a course.
Now these protective laws did not give this abundance,
but obliged. many to go without a sufficiency. This
was the fruit of the experience they had had. • It
was said that experience, made fools wise ; but
it had not made monopolists wise in a, national
sense. Did these protective laws give them full
employment ? Did they: ,give general employment
even in agricultural districts ? and in the manufac-
turing districts had they not thrown an immense num-
ber out of employment ? ' That being the case; it did
appear to him somewhat strange that no one thought
of making.-a proposal like this :—A great number now
were working only four days a week ; and suppose that
they could apply the remainder of their time to manu-
factures, to send it abroad, they might take two millions'
worth abroad, and . bring back two millions in grain.
Here would be employment for these people. They would
take cloth, and bring back the very article we were in
need. of. What prevented this ? These monopoly laws,
and nothing else. If these laws did not exist, there
would be plenty of individuals who would undertake to
bring the grain, and would not stop till, the manufactures
were made. And what could be more. reasonable on the
part of a number of people who were willing to work, and
could not get it,-than to say—Let us seek work, that we
may get our food ? He read, in a Tory newspaper, an
account of the rate of wages in Odessa, which was written
for the purposes of showing that, if the duty on wheat were
repealed, there would be a low rate of wages. But when they
said that wages were low, which was a fact, it showed
that, where there were no manufactures, but agriculture
flourished in a high degree, Wages were low. The
wages there were lower than in our, country, notwith-
standing the Monopoly. The argument went against
the agribulturists,.because agriculture there did nothing
for the labourer. He hoped we should have many guah
meetings as this ; for all the influence arising . out of.
union should be brought to bear against our powerful
opponents, who, taking forty or fifty millions a • year'out
of the pockets f the people, would fight desperately for
it. It is worth their while to spend money on elections,
as, for every pound they spend, they could get 10/. or
201. from the pockets of the people. Lord John Rus-
sell's announcement was like a shell thrown amongst the
Members, and the Tories saw that it was the beginning
of a new system: He hoped,' ere long, we should have
to throw up our caps in this hall, and huzza for " Free
trade."--(Cheers.)
•Mr. J. C. DYER moved the next resolution, and
said this was the continuation of that movement
which began in the Chainbcr of Couimerce; and-which
gave rise to the Anti-Corn-huv League. When the
people of -England are united, and. determined to
carry any 'measure for the general benefit, it was not
in the power of the 'aristocracy to ' resist 'their will.
He now heard an ominous voice from 'a high
quarter—a Minister of the Crown-,-at the eleventh'
hour, avowed himself an advocate for the weakest and
least protected party—the great mass of her Majesty's
subjects. The stricken consciences of the monopolists
told them that this was true, and they did not dare to
gainsay it. All he would say was, that this Parliament
should be made to do its duty, or another called in its
stead.—(Hear.) . He would read and move a memorial
to the Queen ; and he believed from his soul, that the
Sovereign of these realms had the welfare of the country
at heart.—(Applause.) Hitherto, the aristocracy had
been too strong for both the Sovereign and the people ;
but he hoped a better time was coming. In. conclusion,
he spoke of an extension of the suffrage and vote by bal-
lot ; and moved that a memorial to her Most Gracious
Majesty, the Queen, be adopted, and signed by the chair-
man, on behalf of this meeting.
Mr. SAMUEL _STOCKS, in seconding the resolution,
said, that being one of the Anti-Corn-law League, he
should. much prefer the total and immediate repeal ;
but he would take the proposition of Ministers as an
instalment. As to the agricultural labourers, what
was the average of their wages ? Scarcely 9s. a week.
Of that scanty pittance, 3s. went for duties on food,
&c. It was desirable to take some steps to deny
the grand calumny issued from both Houses of
Parliament, and echoed in some London prints, that
we, of the 'manufacturing districts, want to ruin and
oppress the labouring classes of the agricultural districts ;
than which Satan himself never told a greater lie. What
would be the condition of the. farmer, farm-labourer, and
tho manufacturing districts if we had no foreign trade at
all ? We are bad enough, exporting to the value of fifty
millions sterling ; then what shoUld we be without it ?
We must deal with the rest of the world • and what could
we give better than the prodnce of our labour employed
on the various raw materials ? England got more
from the labour employed on the raw materials than the
countries which produced the materials themselves.
Mr. Alderman BROOKS said, this being market day,
there would be very little .to do •on •'Charige,to-day (as
for a very long time past), for most of the merchants and
manufacturers were here. He would engage to find all
present With salt beef for ; three months at lid. a lb. if •
they would get off the Corn-lawS: He had traded to
Monte Video 25 year; and had never brought any beef
thence because of the prohibition. The monopolists had
been riding over us the last 25 years, and he wondered we.
could sleep so quietly in our beds ; but John Bull was
now upon his haunches, and depend upon it he would
" straighten up" with them.—(Applause.)
M'GowAN, an Irish operative, next addressed the
meeting. He said, when the working classes were told
that cheap provisions meant low wages, it.was time for
them to, speak out. They would tell those men, under
whose directions many of the working classes were
guided, that they would no longer be led.by the Will-o'-
Wisp of the North.---(Cheers.) They might be told, that
having little to do, and nothing to eat, was better than
having plenty to do and plenty to eat, but it would be
difficult to make them believe that three loaves were not
better than two.

Mr. GEORGE HADFIELD referred to the letter of D.
'Robertson, on the condition of the poor in this district,
in which it is stated that the average amount of the fever
cases in 18345,--when there was plenty, of food, was
between 400 'and -506' per—annum, while, in 1839, when
bread was dear, there were upwards of! 1,200. There
was one class of men, who, he Was- sorry: to say, with a
few splendid exceptions, kept aloof from this question,
the Ministers of the Gospel. Where was the • Dean of
Manchester. He owed his appointment to the Ministers
who were bringing forward these measures. One
hundred thousand of his parishioners were suffering
from these laws, and surely he ought to sympathize with
them and, if he came forward, he would certainly be
supported by every denomination in the town. The
thanks of the meeting were given to the Chairman.
The MAYOR briefly acknowledged . the compliment,
and, after three cheers for the repeal of the Corn-laws,
and three cheers for the Queen, the meeting separated
about a quarter to three o'clock.
We have no hesitation in declaring the meeting to
have been one of the largest ever assembled within the
Town-hall. There were not fewer than 2,400 or 2,500
persons present. • The Chartists, though at the com-
mencement of the proceedings; exceedingly vociferous
and noisy, were scarcely worthy of the name of a decent
minority, so small a fraction did they in reality consti
tute of the numbers present. Judging from as careful
'an Observation (with 'the advantage of an elevated station
on the hustings), as we could make, we should say that
the meeting was composed of about equal proportions of
the middle -and the working classes, and the unanimity
which prevailed from
weakness,
moment 'the Chartists dis-
Covered their own was one of the most strik-
ing and gratifying feelings of the meeting. No expres-
sion of public opinion could have been more unequivocal,
unanimous, or, decided, than that which we have now
recorded; of the first great collective meeting of the in-
habitants of the municipal borough of Manehester.