The Sun.
London, England, 1841-03-02 00:00:00

MEETING:

Morday evening the Annual Meeting of the Metropolitan,
Central, and District Anti-Corn-law Associations, was held at
the Crown and Anchor Tavern, Strand, for the purpose of re-
ceiving a Report cf the progress of the question during the
past year, and adopting such measures for the advancing the
iWersists of the cause as might appear most expedient. The
tweeting was very numerously and respectably attended,
although it was apparent at an early stage of the proceedings
that a considerable number of Chartists were in attendance,
whose object was any.hing but an approval of the proceedings.
Shortly after seven o'clock, Henry Warburton, Esq., M.
the Chairman of the evening, accompanied by the Committee,
F•nteied the room, and was received with loud cheers, and par-
fal hissing from the Chartists. Sir William Molesworth, Bart.,
M.P., Benjamin Hawes, Esq., M.P., John Easthope, Esq.,
i.P., Mr. Villiers, M.P. Mr. Alcoa, Mr. Roebuck, Dr.
io.vring, and numerous otTiesr distinguished and tried friends of
the people were present on the occasion. We regret to state
tl.at shortly after the commencement of the proceedings Sir
'illiam Molesworth was obliged to retire from indisposition.
Mr.- WA ant) RTON, amidst considerable interruption, briefly
stated the object of the meeting, and then called on the Secre-
tary, Mr. Sydney Smith, to read the Report, which was to the
blowing effect :
" The Report contained an account of the origin of the As-
sociation, and of the difficulties it had to encounter..-Ist, from
the general apathy of the middle class, and, 2nd, from the
botti ity of the more po:itical portion of the working class. It
congratu:ated the meeting upon the decline of apathy in the
toe cla,-s. and upon the cessation, to a considerable extent, of
the iostility of the other.
" 7he Committee had great pl,amre in being able to report
that kite sa.a.e splnt was spreiding rapidly in every direction,
a..d w.uld, ere long, animate the whole country.
" Energetic and well-qualified gentlemen, under the auspices
of the Liagut, had t.een eminently successful in their efforts to
convey u eful instruction to the p.s plc. They.hal been well
received in every part of tl.e kingdom. Their lectures had
been num, rousiy attended, and in no part of the country more
satisfactorily than in the South-western counties, in which the
supporters of the Corn Laws declared, boastingly, they dared
not show themselves. So broad, so strong, so genial was the
light these gentlemen had diffused, that the League had only to
continue iheir exertions in conjunction with this Association, '
and other Central Associations, to cause the enrolment in aid
of the repeal of the Corn Laws, of the' whole of the thinking
portion of the population of this great Empire.
" Since the date of the last ,Report several ew features in
the progress of the Anti-Corn-law movement had presented
the.nselves. Of these, none was more worthy 7of notice than
the effect produced on the nation by the important evidence
which was given last year before a Committee of the House of
Commons, by perstais of great official and commercial expe-
rience, in respect to the enormous amount of the injury which
is inflicted oil the country by the food monopoly.
" A well-timed manifesto had also appeared, signed by nearly
one hundred and fifty influential Members of the House of
Commons, which it was hoped might induce her Majesty's Go.
velninent to give their earnest and immediate attention to the
baneful effects produced by the corn monopoly on the revenue
and prosperity of the State.
" After mature deliberation, the Committee felt justified in
recommeneing a renewal of the measure of petitions to Parlia-
ment ; becau!e, notwithstanding the apparent disrespect with
whi::11 the Legislature last Session treated the question, it was
very certain that the effect of addressing the House of Commons
was to diminish the former adverse majority.
" The Committee had also come to the resolution of advising
thepresentasion of one large national petition to the Queen
aga•.nst the Corn-lasts, praying her Majesty to instruct her Go-
vern:vent to take the subject into their immediate tonsi-
&rat ion."
The Committee concluded their report in the words of a
former address, thus :

, .
" Finally, then, permit us, fellow-citizens, solemnly to ap-
prat to your sympathy—to your intelligence—to invoke your
ad and co-operation ; since, deeply assured as we are that our
object, the total repeal of the Corn-laws, is for the welfare of
all, so it must be the imperative duty of all to aid in its accom-
plishment."—(Cries of " No, no," arid cheers.)
Mr. HARRISON then move) that the Report which had been
read Le receiye:l and printed for general distribution.
The re:olufi-n having been seconded by iir. PROUT
M ,
r. V. 1.1 LL Chart'ist) rose amidst cheers, hisses, and great '
uproar, to propose an ameniment. The Chairman endeavoured
to obtain, fa: li'm au heaths, and he addressed the meeting at
some let,th in favour of tho
principles embodied in the Peop.e's
C hart, r, but owinr, to the ~o se and confusion which prevailed,
hut few .of his iibse vat ons reached us 'I he amendment was
to tlete.ffeet " Thal in the opinion of.the meeting the Corn-
!awj would never be repealed until the peop..e were fairly repre-
..ented ; that la great national petition he presented to her Ma-
jAty praying that she wined do justice to her subjects.—
Cheers and disapprobx ion.) And that petitions should be
adopted and p esented to the Legislature, praying them to
en-
act that the People's Charter should become the law of
the
land.”—(Renewed cheering and hisses.)
A working man, named tioccis, seconded the amendment.
He said it was true that the Corn-laws were infarnoaushelaa:ls--
much to
that they had caused many a tear to fall—many.
hornet., and starvation—(hear,
sigh—many unhappy
hear)—but, notwithstanding all this, let them only get
sUni-
versal Suffraae, and they would be in possession of the key to
the cupboard. All they
asked wa a fair day's wages for a
fair day's labour. There were many other bad laws as well
as the Corn-laws,
which it would he necessary for them to get
rid of. He knew maul; Gall- repeaters at the East-end
.
law
of the town who had ;educed
the
'lages of the working men.
—(Cries of " Name.") He would not name ;
it could do no
good. lie had great , respect for h
burton, and many other gentlemen t who took an active part
e character of ,11 r. War-
in this agitation, who were no daubt actuated by the best
intentions ; but there were others who, in his opinion, were
not sincere.a-(Cheers and hisses.)
Mr. ROEBUCK came forward and attemkted to address the-
meeting ; but the uproar and confusion:was
audible. He said
so great that a co
side, able time elapsed before lie was distinctly n
that it had been his fate upqn many oecasions'tdoalcd
address the
working men of this country, and he always thought that they
were a candid people, and anxious for a fair and open discus-
sion of the principle and opei ation of those laws by which
they were governed.— (Chi era, and uproar.) The questions
which had been raised to-night could be reduced into a very
small compass, and dealt with in a very few words; and if the
object of those who had assembled was really to have those
questiods fully and fairly discussed, he was quite prepared to
meet them. The amendment which had been proposed was
not, in 14 opinion, inconsistent with the objects of the meet-
ing.--(Cheers.) - They had all agreed that there was an evil to
be cured in the shape of the present representation of the peo-
ple in Parliament; but he said that there was another and a
greater evil to be cured, and they were there assembled to
inquire into and consider the best way of getting rid of that
evil.—(Cheers and hisses.) It had been said, and truly sa'd,
that the operation of the present Corn-laws had filled many a
cottage with sorrow, and brought death and desolation into
many a happy home, and they were there assembled to in-
quire the best way of getting rid of those laws.—(Cheers.
He was free to cimfess that the adoption of the Charter)
would get rid of a great part of the mischief consequent
upin those laws.—(Zhcers and hisses.) Every fair and
'liimest Chartist would listen to him, for he had
done more fur
their cause than any other individual present—(Cheers)—but
the Anode of discussing their principles which had been that
night adopted would never effect the object which they
sought to attain.—(Cheers and uproar.) He agreed perfectly
in all that had been said in favour of the Charter, and he be-
lieved that if to-morrow they could get the Charter they
would have no Corn-laws ; but, at the same time, he
must complain of
upon those who earns there to
the imputations which had been cast
advocate the repeal of the Corn-
laws--of the accusation of motives which bad been
brought against them-_b wrong .
means to 04tiiimintitijalthey slid not adopt the same.
ho at once contended for the
Charter.-4 hi., e___
those who g,,3,„,,,,,,,-• -1. -":'.._'.:-.7,,Ati: .rn.)-laws
It was not the wish of
suffrage ~,., )417- ' ,N . lik
to withhold the
I . ;I t'IA
4 ~
..„,„ arise he had been turned
d 1"7 it Is
. k
-
hai, 40,
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