The Sun.
London, England, 1841-06-25 00:00:00

! CITY OF LONDON ELECTION.
A naneelija meeting of the friends•of the Liberal
candideee for the City of London was held last evening
amt tilt Bridge-house Hotel, London-bridge, to adopt
measures for securing the return of Sir M. Wood,
Messrs. Crawford andPattison, and Lord TT\ VAS A.
The Chair was taken shortly aftet kt-ven o'clock, amid
loud acclamations, by R. Itivres, Esq., who was sup-
ported by Mr. Pattison, Alderman Humphery, Mr.
M'Leod, Mr. W. Hawes, Mr. Vousley, Mr. Crawfurd,
Mr. B. Wood, Mr. Dillon, and a number of the most in-
fietential electors.
The CHAIRMAN said that in commeac the proceed-
ings of the evening, having by the Ntsent of the meet-
ing been honoured with the peesidency on that occasion,
he should take the liberty, in the first place, to ask them
•to give a perfectly fair and impartial hearing to every
body who might think it his right or duty to addeess
them.—(Cheers.) They were there for the pfd Nse
of free and fair discussion, and they fear not the
result of that discussion.—(Hear, hear, and loud
cheers.) They were anxious that those great popular
meetings held on these important occasions should bear
the character of deliberation and reason, and nothing
else.—(The Hon. Gentleman was here interrupted by !
the arival of Mr. Crawford, Mr. B. Wood, and other
gentlemen, who were loudly cheered by the meetio6)
Nothing could be more acceptable to him (Ms' 11.), or
gratifying to them, than that the only Interruption
which should take place should be that which was oc-
casioned by the cheers which marked the reception of
those who had come forward in support of popular
right.; and popular principles.—(Cheers.) It was a
proud satisfaction to him (Mr. H.) to think that he was
not advocating a mere party question, but one interesting
to the whole community, and which, if they carried,
would be conducive to the benefit of all classes of the
community.—(Loud cheering.) But if this were a mere
party question he should not be indisposed to contrast
the conduct of the Liberal party of the present day with
that of the Tory party in days gone by. When in former
days the Tories did propose measures calculated to bene-
fit the people and improve the trade of the country, they
received the strongest support from the popular party in
the House, and from the people out of doors. Mr. Hus-
kisson had no better supporters than these, and they
supported him because his measures were measures bene-
ficial to the whole community., and far beyond his party.
—(Loud cheers.) He was successfully carried through
all his difficulties by Liberal Members of Parliament ;
but now, when the Whig Government came forward to
propose measures founded on the same principles—prin-
ciples which they dare not oppose, and which they could
not reject—they now saw them refuse to support the prin-
ciples they once themselves supported, because they were
brought forward by opponents who possessed the
places they were anxious to obtain.—(Loud cheers.) It
had been his (Mr. H.'s) fate to be attacked, because
he had thought proper to step forward and discharge his
duty to the electors, but he VMS perfectly regardless of
Tory abuse and obloquy.—(Cheers.) Great efforts had
been made by the same parties to prevent the election
of a Liberal Sheriff, but a Liberal Sheriff had been that
day. elected.—(Loud cheers.) Great efforts had been
mane for the same • purpose to prejudice him (Mr. H.)
in the eyes of his friends and constituents, and to secure
their object his opponents had resorted to the grossest
falsehoods. They first said that he had asked for place;
but he .had never asked for piece from any man.—
(Hear, hear.) Then they said that he had attempted to
injure one of the most respectable and industrious classes
of the community—the watermen of London. He denied it.
He would refer to the Bill which his Hon. Colleague
and himself had introduced, in support of his assertion.
The 7th clause of that Bill was as follows:—" And
whereas the freemen of the Company of Watermen,
Wherrymen, and Lightermen have heretofore almost
exclusively been employed in navigating such steam-
boats or vessels as are navigated within, and do not go
beyond the limits of this Act; and whereas such free-
men have been found fit and serviceable in such em-
ployment, and it is expedient to afford them encourage-
ment, so as to insure to the public the services of effi-
cient persons," &c.—(Cheers.) He trusted that was a
sufficient answer to the calumny.—(Cheers.) He was
not conscious that, by word or act, he had done any-
thing to injure any one in the course of his public con-
duct. He remembered that a parallel had been lately
drawn in the House of Commons between the conduct of
Sir R. Walpole and Lord John Russell, but he thought it
would have been more to the purpose if the Noble Lord
who drew the parallel had compared the conduct of the
party of which he was. now a member, with a party
which in former times equally opposed a Liberal Minis-
try and Liberal measures, and of whom it was said by a
Contemporary Historian, that " their clergy exerted their
eloquence against the Minister, and still more against
the Queen herself—(Loud and long-continued cheers)—
and the principles of the Administration. They alSo ex-
patiated at large in their sermons to the people on the
old proceedings in Cromwell's time and the misfortunes
of the Church, and he who inveighed most bitterly was
the most highly applauded of his party."—(Cheers.) He
thought the Noble Lord might refer to history for some
better purpose than that of party, and to cast obloquy on
his old friends.—(Cheers.) But what were the measures
and principles they were met there to support ?
They were measures which must benefit all classes,
improve trade, lighten taxes, and increase industry.—
(Cheers.) Were those measures which could be con-
sidered hostile to the people ?—(Hear, hear.) In every
great public meeting when the doors were fairly open—
(Cheers)—and free discussion invited, and honest truth
took part in the discussion, then and there they found
the voice of the people raised in support of these great
measures, because they know they were founded in jus-
tice, and could only be withheld from them by injustice
and tyranny,—(Loud cheers.) Was there any one who
doubted the blessing of having cheap timber, cheap
sugar, and cheap corn ? There was not a child
who could not see through the sophistry of their oppo-
nents.—(Cheers.) He had looked in vain over the
speeches of the gentlemen who were the Conservative
candidates for London to find some of those principles
of political economy—something which should prove
to the people that dear corn was a blessing—for
that party had long since determined that cheap corn was
a thine. which Englishmen were never fated to enjoy.
—(Cheers.) One of these gentlemen (Mr. Attwood)
had said that a fixed duty could never be maintained.
Why, it was not maintained by the present lawl—
(Hear, hear.) Why, then, should they ask more from
him than he got from them?—(Hear, hear.) But then
they said we should be dependent upon foreign coun-
tries for a supply. Could a great commercial country
like England be anything but dependent on: foreign
nations ?—(Hear.) Then they said cheap corn and
low wages went together. If that were true, when corn
was at famine prices the labourer ought to be much
benefited ; but he should like to know what benefit
would be derived if corn were 1003. the quarter ?
(Cheers.) He would support them if they would bring
in an Act of Parliament to ensure that wages should
rise with the price of corn.— (Loud cheers.) He would
now ask them what it was the Tories offered in present-
ing themselves to the people ? What single thing more
than his friends on his right and left ?—(Cheers.)
They said they offered a steady Government; and they
(the Whigs) offered a steady Government too, if the
Tories would be honest.—(Cheers.) If, when out of
office, they would support honestly those measures which
they supported when in office—if, in such case, they
would follow the honest course pursued by their oppo-
nents, there would be no fear of a steady Government in
the country.—(Cheers.) It was when great men de-
scended to struggle for mere place and patronage that
Governments became unsteady. They appeared to him
(Mr. II.) much in the situation of a celebrated man who
was once a candidate for Westminster, Mr. Horne Tooke,
who, after; two other candidates had been proposed
on the hustings, and highly eulogised for their many
good qualities, came forward and said—" Gentlemen,
you have had two candidates proposed. to you, possessing
every virtue under Heaven ; have the kindness now to
hear one who makes no pretensions to any."—(Laughter.)
ThiS appeared to him to be the case of their opponents.
They held hole-and-corner meetings where they could
never find them.—(Cheers.) He should have liked to
have seen them there that night.—(A voice, " They
are down stairs.") He should like to see them up stairs
then, for once he would give them a lift in the world.—
(Cheers.) The Whigs had this unspeakable advantage,
they had justice on their side; their cause was the cause
of the people, and it would stand or fall by the people,
and if it was supported by the popular voice, let those
take the responsibility who should attempt to deprive
the,people of that justice which belonged to them.—
(Cheers.) If they had not a steady Government, it was
because the Tories, from the time they introduced the
Corn-laws, in 1815, to the present moment, had been
living on the industry, and trampling on the rights of
the people. It was they
.who were responsible for all
mishaps. He prayed their power might never rise to
the extent to enable them to injure any thin; great and
useful in this country, for he knew, when the people
were suffering under a sense of long perpetuated ink e..
tice, their feelings rose beyond their self-cont- j , and it
was impossible to foresee the extremities to which that
sense of injury might lead- diem.—(Loud cheers.)
He found he had occupiefl too much of their time, and he
should now simply introduce to their notice the gentle-
men who woulsi move and second the various resolutions,
and the candidates who were present. If they.wished to be
respected out of doors they would hear every body
patiently and temperately, and he was confident that the
truth and justice of their cause would ensure them an
ultimate triu.mph.—(Cheers.)
Alderman HUMPHERY moved the first resolution.
They were met for the purpose of promoting the return
of four good and honest men, and as there were many
electors of London resident in the Borough, he trusted
they would pay attention to the wording of the reso-
lution. It was rumoured that he (Alderman Humphery)
had expressed his intention to vote for, the four City
Tories.—(Great laughter.) That statement had been
promulgated throughout the borough, and amongst his
particular friends, and it Was perhaps unnnesary. for
him to refute that calumny in toto.—(Great cheering.)
But they would see his vote recorded against them on
the morning of the election,—(rear, and cheers.) He
would take leave to say a few words with regard to a
document Which Ireil been generally circulated by their
opponents- •;:nd which had hitherto escaped notice. It
was ~',"statement of the amount of the national debt in
1821, which was then 800 millions, and which the Tories
alleged they had reduced in 1831 to 755 millions,
That the interest in 1821 was 30,149,9241., and in 1831 it
was only 27,674,7541., making a reduction of two mil-
lions and some hundred thousands. They then state that
in" 1841, after the Whigs had been in office ten years,
that the interest of the debt was 28,738,7201., making
an increase of a million. Now, he denounced that as a
most unfair statement, because the Tories had said
nothing of the twenty millions paid for the emancipa-
pation of the slaves which, according to their own calcu-
lation, would bring the sum up to what it was at the
present time.—(Hear, hear.) That twenty millions
emancipated their slaves, and paid off th (mortgages of
the West India proprietors, but not satisfied with that
the planters and proprietors now sought to havu.mo-
°poly in ow supply of sugar, and to Mahe the poop a of