The Sun.
London, England, 1840-01-15 00:00:00

food,—(Cheers.) At the present moment the land-
lord's interest was opposed to the manufacturer's—he
had the monopoly of food, but rob him of that and
he would soon join in knocking down all other
monopolies —(Cheers.) He would say we have got
a Church, I find that's overpaid.—(Cheers.) He would
say, the working men of Manchester, by their outcry,
make me pay as much as men who have no Church to
keep ; and I am sure, therefore, that there is something
rotten in the state of things, and the sooner they are
got rid of the better.—(Cheers.) He would therefore
advise them by all means in their power to exert them-
selves in procuring the repeal of the Corn-law, and only
show to the farmer that it was to his interest to have
them repealed, and he would row in the same boat
with them.—(Cheers.) He had no hesitation in saying
that if they went sturdily to work they would obtain
the repeal of the Corn-laws and with them that of all
others that pressed upon the industrious classes of the
community.—(Cheers.) Mr. Walker concluded, amid
much cheering, by seconding the resolution, which was
put by the Chairman to the meeting, and by him de-
clared to be carried unanimously.
Mr. Alderman COBDEN moved the fifth resolution,
which was to the following effect
Tnat in the event of any vacancies in Parliament, or
of a general election, the Deputies pledge themselves to
use their best exertions in their several towns and districts
to oppose, by all constitutional means, the return of any
candidate who is a supporter of the existing law; and
they call upon their friends in all parts of the empire to
be prepared with candidates who are favourable to the
abolition of the Corn and Provision-laws."

It was now just twelve months ago since they had met
in that place under similar circumstances. On that oc-
casion he told them that he would not intrude upon
them with a speech, nor would he do so now, because he

held it to be but right and just that they should give
those gentlemen who were there as delegates an oppor-

tunity -of stating their sentiments.—(Cheers.) —He
held that upon this question the constituencies of the
country were upon their trial, and he would give them
till the next election to see how they did their duty ;

f they send men opposed to the existing Corn-laws into

Parliament, they will have done their duty manfully,

and if they do not, they will act ,as traitors to their coun-
try and themselves.—( Great cheering.) He most
cordially moved the resolution, and he was most happy
to say a working man from Carlisle was there to second
it, and to tell the meeting what they were doing there

on this great question.—(Cheers.)
Mr. EPHRAIM HARRIS then came forward to second
the resolution, and was met with great cheering. He
had been sent from Carlisle to tell them what they

were doing there. The middle and lower classes were
being united in interest and affection. They had had a
fair trial, the middle classes could not do without them,
and they could not do without the middle classes.—
(Cheers.) The working men of Carlisle tried for the
Charter last year, and the middle classes opposed them,
and they were defeated ; the middle classes tried the
Corn-law question, the working classes opposed them,
and there they stood defeated—(Cheers)—so that
they were a prey to the common enemy. They were
all working men, but to be worthy citizens of the world
they must be in order. About sixteen months ago
they tried in Carlisle to get up an Anti-Corn-law As-
sociation. Circumstances overruled them ; but, not six
months ago, they commenced another Anti-Corn-law
Association. The working classes of Carlisle thought
to confine it to themselves, but when they had esta-
blished it about six weeks they issued an address, de-
claring that restrictive anti prohibitory enactments ope-
rated most unjustly on mankind in general ; the question
of the Corn-laws was discussed, and then it was that
they called upon their fellow-workmen to join them ;
and on the Ist of January the address appeared on the
walls of Carlisle, and in a very short time they had no
less than 1,022 members, and that they believed was
not half the number included in the list.—(Cheers.)
He was happy to say that they were united in Carlisle
on this subject, and he had no doubt if all would follow
that example, and join together heart and hand, they
would carry this important question much sooner than
many were willing to believe.—(Great cheering.) With
these remarks he begged to second the resolution.
The CHAIRMAN said he had now great pleasure in
introducing to the meeting Mr. Chadwick, who had
done /he most effectual service to their cause by the
eloquent lectures he had delivered in different parts of
the country in opposition to the Corn-laws.
Mr. CHADWICI: then came forward amid the most
enthusiastic cheering to address the meeting. He
said—My friends, I stand before you as a Corn-
law agitator.—(Loud cheers.) I have been such
for years—for years I have spent pounds upon pounds
in agitating for the repeal of the Corn-laws—
( Cheers), and of all the things that have disgusted
me most in my operations are the absurdities I met
with on every occasion from our opponents.—(Great
cheering. Sir Robert Peel tells all Europe, Asia,
Africa, and America, that it is the Constitution of the
most glorious empire in the world to tax the poor
man's bread to support gentility.—(Great cheering.)
What have I beard in addition to this,--why, the
brother of a judge-advocate-general stand up at al
peblic meeting, and tell the men who had conquered '
,he ;hole of Europe,—men whose bloo
heeia shed at Waterloo,—that every man must pay
two-pence 2:2r a penny loaf for fear that the Emperor
of Russia show
',I laud at Dover.—(Great cheering.)
I have also talked with clergymen of the Church of
England on this subjece`.. men who on Sunday repeat
numberless times that pra;'er which says, " Give us
this day our daily bread," and they have said that the
people were the better for makin this sacrifice.—
(Cries of " Oh.") And the reason fog their saying that
your bread ought to be taxed is one of tht: most curious
I ever heard, and the most absurd. They say jf you
spend all the money you get by your work in bred'',
that then you will have no money to buy drink with.—
(Great laughter.) Now, Gentlemen, lam a great ad-
vocate for what is called the Penny Trash.—(Cheers.)
Some time ago we had a joint stock newspaper esta-
blished for the purpose of keeping up the present
system at all hazards. The first page is filled with
sham advertisements—(Cheers:—the next with what is
called religion, telling you never to go to the beer-shop
till after dinner.—(Great laughter.) Well, then, as the
pemer must have some circulation, the third page is filled
with sporting intelligence from Manchester—(lncreased
laughte!)-- end then in the fourth there is what is called
;
the editOrial retoarks, which, in common English, means
the receptacle for 1,11 the villany and rascality that can
be scraped togethere---
Cheers.) In some of those re-
marks I have been told ths.lt they would never spare me.
I have accepted the gauntlet upon that, and depend
upon it I will never surrendeal•—(Most enthusiastic
cheering.) Now what is the reason we have
such absurdity told us at pui,2ic meetings.
If an idiot was here and was to attempt to speak, you
would not hear him ; but if any fellow who vas little
better was to get up and talk nonsense, you would hear
him a great while ; there, and there alone, is the reason
for all the absurdities you hear.—(Cheers.) Now 1
would apply to this country what Franklin did to
America—that was the Penny Trash.—(Cheers.)
That Franklin which established the independence of
America, and saddled two hundred and fifty millions on
your shoulders. Now I/. a week is 52/. a year, and
that will distribute 50,000 copies of Penny Trash,—
(Cheers.) Well, in that to-day you may have a good
article from the Morning Chronicle.—(Cheers.) Next
week a good speech from Dr. Bowring ; and if this
accomplishes nothing else it will raise the taste of the
people, and they will no longer sit down to hear
silly stuff from a Joint-stock Journal.—(Cheers.)
Now I should like that we should walk before we run ;
if the people of Oldham choose, let them try it for one
week ; let them first of all try it on blue paper one
week, on yellow another, and on red another—only let
them try the system, and at the next election, there
is my hundred guineas down for the election of Dr.
llowring. and the Corn-law repeal principle.—(Mr.
Chadwick here sat down, amidst loud cheers, and cries
of "Go on.") Mr. Chadwick again came forward,
amidst most enthusiastic cheering. He said—Too much
of a good thing, my friends, will not do.—(Laugl ter, and
cries of "Go on.") You will hear plenty of good speeches
to-night ; and, really to tell you the plain truth, if I
was to rack my brain ever so, I have nothing more to
say, but, Gentlemen, I wish you all a very good night.
—(Great laughter and long-continued cheering, amidst
which Mr. Chadwick sat down.)
The Chairman then put the resolution to the meet-
ing, and declared it to be carried amid loud cheers.
The CHAIRMAN—There is, Gentlemen, but one
more resolution, after passing which, we shall conclude
the interesting business of the day. I now call on Mr.
Stansfield, of Leeds, to move that resolution.
Mr. STANSVIELD then came forward, and was much
c,'.:eveel. He felt proud in moving the resolution en-
trusieid to his care. The present meeting had been
called together to: the purpose of inspiring every one
present to exert themse;,:: to the utmost to remove
the infamous oppression that 'about
in consequence of the present existing
ed upon the country
r'orn-laws.—
They bad met there that day to raise their
regret gyms,
and even to swear not to disband the League, till they
bad obtained their rights.—(Great cheering.)
been said that they were the opponents of the ltaristocracyhad
j—he denied that they were so ; the aristocracy were
present
were own opponents.—(Great cheering.) All
were desirous of protecting property and persons; they
wished to support the Crown, but they desired also
that they should have their rights.—(Cheers.) He
stood forward in a good cause, and be warned the aris-
tocracy of this country to consider well the course they
were pursuing, and retract ere it was too late. Let
them le collect the warning to Belshazz ir—the hand-
writing upon the wall—" Mt ne, mene, tekel upharsin."—
(Great cheering.) The resolution that he had to pro-
pose was as follows :
" That the Council of the League is hereby autho-
rised and requested to summon a meeting of the League
to assemble in London, at such time as shall be thought
advisable, giving due notice of the same in the Anti-Corn-
law
The Rev. P. Beewsirea, of Paisley, seconded the
resolution. He stood there in a great measure as the
representative of the working classes, who had joined
this agitation for the repeal of the Corn-laws in the town
of Paisley, and as the time of the meeting had now been