The Sun.
London, England, 1841-09-23 00:00:00

MORNING SUN

CORN LAWS
AND COMMERCIAL REFORM.

PUBLIC MEETING IN SALFORD.
MANCHESTER, MONDAY.—OUX sister borough, Salford,
with its population of 100,000, second only in importance
amongst the manufacturing boroughs to Manchester, held this
morning a most unanimous and enthusiastic meeting of
the tnhabitants, in the Town-hall, convened by G. H. Hall,
Esq., The Boroughreeve, (the head municipal Officer),
upon a requisition presented to him, to which were at-
taebed the signatures of all the leading inhabitants of the
boroug'a. The object of the Meeting, as stated in the re-
was—" for the purpose of considering the present
digressed state of the population of this town and neigh-
bourhood, and the alarming prospects of the approaching
winter ; and the propriety of memoralising the Queen, praying
her Majesty not to prorogue the two Houses of Parliament un-
til they have entered upon a full consideration of the Corn and
Provision laws, which, with our other commercial restrictions,
are, in the opinion of the requisitionists, the main causes of the
existing sufferings of the people " There was a crowded at-
tendance, the large room of the Town-hall being filled from
end to end. Upon the platform, near the Boroughreeve, were
Sir Thomas Potter, Thomas Bazle: , jun., Esq., Holland
Hoole, Esq., R. P. Livingstone, Esq., W. Lockett, Esq., J.
Harding, Esq., &c.
The BOROUCHREEVE, in taking the Chair, was loudly
cheered. After reading the requisition, he ealled on Mr.
Hoole to move the first resolution, an announcement which
was loudly applauded, Mr. Houle being a Conservative.
Mr. H. HOOLE was loudly cheered. Hesspole as follows :
—" Mr. Boroughreeve, wnen I signed the requisition request-
ing you, Sir, to summon a meeting upon this subject, I had no
intention whatever of presenting myself to the mee; ing, or
making any speech upon the occasion. I have told my tale be-
fore. I have only to repeat what I have said on former occa-
sions at meetings in this borough and in Manchester—that our
trade is at present in a stale of very deep depression, and that
that depression has been snore lasting and permanent than ever
any similar depression was known tube, I think. in the memory
of the oldest tradesman in Manchester.—( Hear, hear.) I
have laid it down as an axiom, which I think cannot be
disouted, and it is one which my own observation
and experience enable me to place much confidence
in, that we never can have a good trade with per-
manently high-priced food—( Hear, hear)—that, in order that
this country may stand as she ought to do, and has hitherto
_tool, pre-eminent in manufactures, the people ought to have
food at the lowest price for which it can possibly be brought to
our doors. And if it be the case that there Are laws now in
existence in this country which prevent food from being brought
to the labouring classes at the lowest price at ..hick it can be
affOrded, then it naturally follows they will have so much less to
expend in the consumption of articles of manufactures ; they
will be worse clad, the manufacturer will languish, and, at the
same time, in consequence of all this, there will be a greater
pressure on the markets, and our foreign markets partake of
that depression, which is mainly perhaps found to be pro-
:owed at home. It is on these accounts, gentlemen, that,
without any respect to party, fur we know, and ought to know,
nothing of politics, I contend in these questions. I, a; a
tradesman largely engaged, as you very well know, in the
staple manufacture of this town and neighbourhood—largely
engaged in the production of cotton twist, and paying, as
ought to do, upwards of 20.000 i. a year in wages--( Hear)—
.

it is on these acconets that I hire crime forward cn this ocea-
sioa, I have come forward in times past, to advocate an ap-
plicstion io the Queen, that she wilt not allow Parliament to be
prorogued till they have give!, their full con itteria.thin to the
Corn anti P:ovision-laws.—( Api ) The resolution I
'ave to pi-61.0,e has been drawn u;t by a Committee, who have
investigated the -facts; therefore what it stated in it may be
fully decentied upon It is, " 'Tat an intensity of distress,
unprecedented in this borough. has prevailed cuing the last
three years, by which the labour ng classes are placed in a mcst
destitute condition, ant! the capital hitherto employed in busi-
ness has most ruinously diminished. That there are at present
of dw-Iling-houses 2,030, and of cotton-mills, factories, an.l
mechanics' and other workshops, 74 in number, wholly unoccu-
pied, which would yield a rental of 27,652/. per annum ; whilst
vast numbers of respectable and industrious individuals, who
wet, tenants and work-people, ate deprived of comfortable re-
sidences and the means of labour and support, thus eresender-
ing disuse and demoralization, and threatening to involve the
whole community in general ruir.."—( Applause.)
Mr. W. LOCKETT seconded pie resolution.
Sir Thos. POTTER came forward to address the meeting
amidst great cheering. Sir Robert Peel had determined not
to take their case into consideration till next F. bruary.. Now
what was to become of the people in the meantime ?-(Laud
cries of " Hear, hear.") What ! was nn effort to be made to
give relief to the perishing thousands ? Were the people to
starve, and no effort be made to ameliorate their condition ?
—(Applause.) And this from men who affected to denounce
the cruelty of the new Poor-law ! The new Poor-law did affo•d
relief in some shape, but Sir Robert Peel's answer was, " wait
till February !"
The resolution was then put, and carried unanimously.
Mr. T. BA Z LEY moved—" That the existing Corn and other
unjust laws which prevent the people of this country from ob-
taining the means of subsistence in the markets of the world
by the exchange of their manufactured produce, together with
the taxes exacted from them, not for the benefit of the State,
but for the profit of monopolists—(Applause)—are, in the
opinion of this meeting, the main causes of the prevailing,
lamentable, and heart-rending distress."—( Cheers. )
Baxley, in the course of a stati-tical and excellent speech, re-
marked—We have been told that other people are unwilling to
trade with us, that they will not give us food for clothing, but
those who say so do not choose to give us the right—l was
about to call it the privilege—of trying to exchange our manu-
factures for food.—(Applause.) But we have amongst U 3 at
the present time a living witness, Mr. Curtis, who has come
from America, cro,sing the broad waters of the Atlantic, who
has been brought here, like another son of Jacob, to tell
the father-land that there is abundance of corn in
America—(Cheers)—that there are vast resources in
that country undeveloped to feed the people of this coun-
try for centuries yet to come. The people here and the
people there might be made mutually happy, but our un-
wise laws entail misery here, and raise up to us rivals there,
by whom ultimately we may be conquered.—(Applause. )
So long as laws exist, by which one part of the community
can tax another part of the community, not for the benefit of
the State, but to support some monopoly, the people can
never expect prosperity ; and if they would like their interests
to be promoted, they must look after their interests.—( Cheers. )
I would advise them to trust to themselves, and never cease
from the peaceful struggle in which they are engaged, until
they possess happiness and sufficiency of food and employment,
and all the comforts of life, which 1 believe to be within the
grasp of all if justice be done.—( Loud cheers.)
Mr. J. HARDING, in seconding the resolution, alluded to the
attempts that had been made to trace the causes of distress to
machinery, and said he was at a loss to see what these parties
would do with our artisans, supposing machinery were destroyed.
Could the agriculturists find work for them ?
The resolution was agreed to unanimously.
The Rev. J. W. 2.ll.asslE came forward, and was received
with great cheering. He said he came because the cry of
humanity had entered his ears, and penetrated his heart, and
hat it would be a neglect of his duty as a Christian Minister
were he to be absent on such an occasion.—( Hear.) Was it
not an atrocious thing that every man should not have the
power of doing what h liked with his own—with his labour?
Why, the very lowest man in the community—and a ducal
coronet adorned his brow—he meant the lowest in intellect—
(Laughter and cheers)—had asserted this privilege; and why
should he have such a privilege, and the industrious, the in-
telligent mechanic be refused ?—(Cheers.) What the poor
man claimed as his own was the labour of his hands, and
surely he had a right to the fruits of that. What was the first
law of our Creator in reference to remuneration ? "By the
sweat of thy brow shalt thou eat thy bread all the days of thy
life."—(Hear, hear.) This was the first principle laid down by
the righteous Ruler of the Universe, and the man that turns
aside his fellow-man and says, " You shall not have the reward
'of your labour," not merely trampled under his foot his fellow-
man, equal in the sight of God with himself—(Cheers)—but
he rebelled against the laws of that righteous God who had es •
tablished the universe.—( Great cheering.) Even the Roy.
Dr. Chalmers, who had come forward with a panacea for all
the ills of the country, admitted that the Corn-laws were an
unjust thing, and admitted that their repeal would" sweeten
the breath of society." The Rev. Gentleman concluded a
powerful speech by proposing a memorial to the Queen,
founded on the foregoing resolutions, to be presented by Joseph
Brotherton, Esq.
• The resolution was seconded by JOSEPH HALL, jun., Esq.,
and carried.'

A vote of thanks was then given to the Chairman, and the
'meeting separated.

MOVEMENT IN PAISLEY.

PAISLEY, SATURDAY.—Arrangements are on foot to call a
public meeting in this town, on an early day, to petition the
Queen " not to prorogue Parliament till the present unprece-
dented and alarming state of distress in whiah the nation is
plunged be taken into consideration." There cannot be a
;doubt that the sentiments expressed in a requisition such as
-the above would meet with the unanimous sanction and
approval of the whole population of Paisley. But we are
heartless and dispirited, and God knows that ever a com-
munity had reason to execrate the upholders of the Corn-
laws, as the authors of more distress than the greatest
tyrant that ever breathed—that community is Paisley.
For three weeks past, such of our manufacturers as were
solvent, and had goods to dispose of, transacted what
might be considered a fair business, but this was en-
tirely to be attributed to the fact that a great quantity of
manufactured goods, owing to the insolvency of the parties,
was locked up ; but these being brought to sale, business is now
worse than ever it has been since the present stagnation com-
menced. Besides, having had more failures this week, the numbers of unemployed is sure to increa,e fearfully, and where
this state of things is to
ae:tl nobody pretends to divine. We
are now upon theh aupsrerdo
ah
voluntary assessment
wish the certainty of
tnyha.zeassment to assist the
having nearly'
ivtes
havec h e ful
moreover sub-
welli.cah most of the i
unemployed,
and paid as far as they Could.
rutted t
spent nearly all the money subscribed by the county gentle-len
and others, who cannot be always giving. Under these dismal
prospects, are
you not surprised that n 9 outbreak has taken
place amongst a
body of men, who, though ingenious, pail's-
taking, and anxious to gain a scanty livelihood, are unable, by
all the means in their power, to provide food to satisfy the
cravings of nature ? How can Sir Robert Peel for a moment
seek to retain power in the midst of such fearful responsibility
-vithout proposing a remedy . , Repose he cannot have, and.
this struggle, which is one for an existence, is not to end by Sir
Aohert's refusal to take the state of the country under imme-
diate consideration. At the usual weekly meeting on Tuesday,
the 14th instant, Mr. Henderson alluded to the unprecedented
losses and distress in 'which the manufacturing interest was
•,molved ; and he was o. f opinion that the sooner this was taken
into consideration by Parliament the better. He would, there.
-tore, propose that petitions should be presented to the. Queen
and the House of Commons, praying that the state of the coun-
try should be immediately taken into consideration before any
nror,,gation or adjournment. do take place. 11.1 r. Campbell, a
fory Chartist, thought that there was great need for such a
course being adopted by Parliament, and would second the mo-
tion, which was unanimously agreed to. The petitions having
been signed by the Provost, Magistrate, and Council, hare been
forwarded for presentation.

PUBLIC MEETING AT READING TO
MEMORIALISE TIE QUEEN.
Rtantxa, TUESDAY, SEPT. 21.—One of the greatest
meetings ever held in Berkshire assembled in this town yester-
day evening, to consider the causes of the existing sufferings of
-the working population in the manufacturing districts, and to
memorialise the Queen, praying her Nlajesty not to prorogui.
Parliament until a due investigation of the Corn and Provision
laws has been entered into. Messrs. Baylis's extern.ive manu-
factory
and, erectin
as g in the King's-road, was granted for the pur-
pose, it w the
that between 1,400 500
*he tradesmen and mechanics
of the town were present and 1,.0f
A Niem Mr.an Havrkes was called to the Chair.
1411 r. W_EFnum said that Sir Robert Peel proposed to dismiss
rlfiniimai, arid kaire ttle question of the people's distress
totally undiscussed-for aTeriod of five months.—( Shame. ) He
( $1:-
,li, Peel) blamed thNate Ministry for not investigating
;„,:_.the subject five years agO,.,and yet, despite the failure of the
late harvest, the failure nks in every Quarter, and the pro-
' failure of Ta‘v,ufaethres, and the interests of industry,
(
, ,ber now coolly and delibei!4ly tells ns that he . hall have no-
thing to say ahoy' the iArter for period cf five months.—
(Hear, hear, hear.) Ht,' c°"tended, therefore, that they
were adoptiog a proper course in a Idrcsahr, her Most
Grecian* Majesty ' "1" deeply sYmpathisd with the 1

sufferings of her people. It was now useless to
address either the House of Lords or Commons.
The Lords had been called the " Hospital of Incurables," and
he saw no indication, in the present state of things, of anything
approaching to convalescence.—( Hear, hear.) It was equally
useless to petition the House of Commons, where the landlords
had now a makrity of 90, though it was well known how
that majority was obtained..—( Cheers.) The Duke of Buck-
ingham, the head of the Corn-law Monopoly, himself nomi-
nated no less than seven 314imbers.—( Hear, hear.) Sir R. Peel
told the landholders that unless he could carry his measures and
act freely, according to his own judgment, he would not ac-
cept their support. Why, the construction of the present Mi-
nistry showed at once that his assertion was but a mere clap-
trap, or delusion. Did they not know that his Grace the Duke
of Buckingham and Sir Edward Knatchbull were members
of that Ministry ?—( Hear, hear.) This illustrated the story of
the two tame elephants ; they were afraid of the liberality
of Sir Robert, so they placed him between two tame elephants,
lest he should become restive for measures of reform.—
( Cheers and laughter.) The Dukes of Richmond and Buck-
ingham told him, that whatever his views might be, he must
be restrained by the power that made him, lest that same
power should again unmake him.—( Hear, hear.) After some
further observations upon the actual extent of taxation upon
the labourer's food, Mr. Weedon read the address to her lla-
jcsty, which he ultimately proposed for the adoption of the
meeting, and which
Mr. J. SLEEMAN, in a short speech, seconded.
After a :speech from Dr. Perrey,
The CHAIRMAN put the memorial, which was unanimously
carried amid loud and protracted cheering.
Mr. EVERETT, after briefly addressing the meeting, proposed
the following resolution :—" That this meeting, feeling a deep
conviction of the evil tendency of the Corn and I'rovision laws,
and of the great advantage which would result to the nation by
their repeal, feel impelled to use all lawful means for obtaining
that object."
Mr. JAMES seconded the proposition, which was also carried
by universal acclamation.
Mr. Vs EEDON said a small part of their duty now remained
to be performed, to fix upon some Nobleman to present the
petition to her Majesty. Every Peer of the Realm had the
privilege of commanding an audience with her Majesty, and
fortunately for this meeting, there was a Noble Lord in this
county—( Bursts of approbation, and loud cries of Radnor")
—who, ever since he had occupied a seat in the Upper House,
had directed his attention to the interests of the workieg
man. to whom he was a sincere and devoted friend. He
alluded, of course, to the Earl of Radnor—( Loud cheers )—wl o,
he proposed, should be requested to present the address to the
Queen, after its being signed by the Chairman in behalf of the
meeting.
The resolution was seconded, and unanimously carried, after
which the meeting separated.