The Sun.
London, England, 1841-01-07 00:00:00

TJ THE EDITOR OF THE MORNING CHRONICLE.

Slit,—The Council of the National Anti-Corn-law
League feel called upon, by the respect they owe to public
opinion, and by a sense of duty to a more numerous and
influential body of constituents than was probably ever pos-
sessed by any representative body out of Parliament, to
offer a few words in reply to the remarks contained in your
inthentia.l journal of Saturday last upon the subject of the
League.
- -

They beg, primarily, to express their satisfaction at find-
ing that their past labours should have merited your appro-
bation. Their success, if any have at'ended their efforts,
has been owing to the indisputable justice of their Cause,
and not to any merits of those who have been unworthily
selected to advocate it. They perceive with regret your
strictures upon the course which they have lately thought
it their duty to pursue ; but the Council would not have
felt called upon to reply to them, were it not that they
observe some, doubtless unintentional, misrepresentation
as to the character end objects of the League.

They find it asserted that " in the present state of the
representation of this country, it is the height of absurdity
to demand that all other popular questions should be sacri-
ficed to the one object of the Anti-Corn-law League;"
that " the friends of liberal opinions, the opponents of
monopoly will naturally shrink from associating with
narrow-minded bigots," and that "the attempts to mono-
polise public opinion in favour of one question only. to the
exclusion of every other, if persisted in, must be injurious
even to that question ; while it inevitably leads to the
sacrifice of all other subjects of public interest and national
importanceY
The Council feel assured that the above remarks were
penned under the strongest misapprehension of the consti-
tution of the League, which, so far from exacting a bigoted
or even exclusive devotion to its objects, has adopted a
fundamental rule for excluding discussion on all extraneous
or party questions, far the very purpose of securing the co-
operation of individuals of every sect and party ; all of
whom arc perfectly free in their individual capacities to
further their respective views upon every other subject.
Th's will probably suffice to exonerate the League from
the charge of bigotry and of being composed of " gentle-
men of one idea," as well as that of attempting " to mono-
polise public opinion in favour of one question."
Again, it is alleged that the Anti-Corn-law League
wish to sacrifice all other popular questions to its one sole
object. Instead of entertaining any such desire, the
Council have never omitted an opportunity of promul-
gating their conviction, that the advocacy of the abolition
of the food monopoly will not interfere in the prosecution
of other righteous objects, but that, on the contrary, they
must necessarily aid and strengthen one another. What
are the great objects which good men of all parties alike
aim at ? Take the highest of all—religion. Can it be
doubted that an insufficiency of food deteriorates both our
spiritual and corporeal nature; that it excites malignant
passiens, and dries up the very sources of charity ? Hence
the Divine Author of our faith has taught us to suppli-
cat.r for a supply of daily bread before soliciting spiritual
graces.
Take the next object most dear to all—the proper edu-
cation of the people. How often has it been proved that
poverty is the handmaid of ignorance ; that where the
body is insufficiently nouriilicd, not only must the means of
education be wanting, but the mind loses even its aptitude
for study.
If, to adduce the three greatest questions in which the
wise and good of all parties concur, the subject of peace,
be added—peace abroad, and within our own borders—
what so likely to secure the latter as content and comfort
in the rnais ut• the people, and what so certain to in-ure
the former as the depcnr enc.! between di .:rout countries
for tl:e first necessaries of life?

It needs but apply this test to all political questions, and
it w.ll be seen that if they be founded in justice they will
be compatible, and even co-operative with the objects of
the Anti Corn-law League. The wisdom of Divine Pro-
vidence has insured the perfect harmony of all truth.
A reference has, moreover, been made to the extreme
course pursued in putting the test of immediate abolition
to Mr. Lyttelton ; in doing which, the Council but ful-
filled its duty, in carrying into effect the unanimous reso-
lution of the delegates, three times reiterated in London
and in Manchester, and adopted as the fundamental ob-
ject of the League. You will at once perceive that when
a large body of men co-operate for a common purpose,
that purpose must be defined, and there is no other mode
of doing this than by submitting the questions to the
universally recognised test of truth and justice. The
food monopoly, which sacrifices the comforts of millions to
enrich the few, was considered obviously unjust, and it was
decided that it ought to be abolished, and as any delay was
considered a denial of justice, it was d, tided that it ought
to be immediately abolished. These were the considera-
tions which- IA the first meeting of deputies to adopt, and
the subsequent one to confirm the principle adopted as the
fundamental object of the League—the total and immediate
repeal of the corn and provision laws.
" Thrice is he arni'd that bath his quarrel just."
Thus armed, our lecturers went forth nearly two years
ago; the success with which their labours have been in-
variably crowned (and the good re,:ults of whic'a you are
pleased to admit), they attribute -*entirely to the righteous-
ness of the principle which they were deputed to advocate.
Had any other principle been adopted a bond of union
would have been wanting, the League could not have been
formed, and the lecturers crust have been routed in the field
of discussion. You do not question the wisdom or the
policy of the course hitherto pu:sued ; the time is, how-
ever, arrived when the Council are called upon to carry
out practically at the hustings the object of the League,
and you take exception to the extreme test to which Mr.
Lyttelton has been subjected by the Anti Corn-law party
at Walsall. Consistency and truth forbid that the League
should advocate one principle in the circular and the
lee-
tore rooms and another at the hustings. Whenever the
Anti-Corn-law party, as a party, interfere in an election
with the view of promcting the return of a candidate, he
must be pledged to the immediate abolition of the food-
monopoly. The time when, and the place where, such
attempts shall be made must be determined, as has been
done at Walsall, after due consideration of the circum-
stances of each case.
In conclusion, the Council will continuo in the same
course which they have hitherto followed with suc4 satis-
factory results. They are not unconscious of the difficul.
ties of the task they have undertaken. They know the
formidable power opposed to them; but they know like-
wise oc
ht.
atruth o
champions.
the hands power cerasnevweirtihnsgtanandd tdheetersmw
of
iths'LlPt nee in the electoral body of the king-
dom,They have con_ '
wise that no
h it may now slumber, it requires only
in whom the abs lute authority over the Legislature
to a see o t eir re ig.ous re:pon.
that they be awakenedf th t -
and Or ever, c mos toils
abs, and thong..h
I._
sibility, to abolish at once,
d
monopoly than was over enured by
By order of the Council,
JOHN BALL
ANT YNE, See.
a great nation.
Anti-Corn-law League, Manchester, Jan. 4.

lo N.—ln the
A HINT TO THE PRO
FESSales it appears
aristocratic territory of New South NV .
that sweeps are scarce as witness the following, which
we take from the Slidni; Herald of August .5 Sweeps
Wanted.—There is a very excellent opening for a gentle-
man: of this line in Sydney at present ; everybody's
chimney wants sweeping, and there is no sweep, or I
there is a follower of that profession, nobody knows wbero
to find him—he ought to advertise. Several informations
have been laid against parties for not having their chimneys
swept, and the firemen are on the look out to get an in-
formation against
. some party whe
custom of setting fire to their chimneys occasionally when
may follow the good old
they want sweeping—the punishment for which is eighteen
months' imprisonment."