The Sun.
London, England, 1846-08-14 00:00:00

POOR MAN'S GUARDIAN
SOCIETY.—(THIS DAY.)
A public meeting of those friendly to the objects of this
society was held to-day, in the Hall of Commerce, City, at
one o'clock.
Mr. B. B. CARRELL, M.P., haring taken the chair, said it
would not be necessary to detain the meeting with stating at
any length the objects of the society, as these would appear
in the motions and in the speeches of the gentlemen who
moved them. He thought it unusual and extraordinary that,
in a nation whose merchants were princes in wealth, a society
like the present, should be necessary to draw the public atten-
tion to the unprotected state of the poor ; yet so it was. Wealth,
he said, had its powers, but it also had its duties ; and it
was to fulfil these that this meeting had been called. He
would not detain the meeting longer, but call on
Mr. CoCRRANE, who moved the first resolution. He said it
would be a work of supererogation in him to talk of the condi-
tion of thepoor generally ; he would confine himself to the poor
within the eity of London. It was said in the last report
of the asylums supported by voluntary subscriptions that
from 18,000 to 20,000 persons had been relieved during the
last winter, and that about 50,000 rose daily from their bed
not knowing where to get a breakfast. The Lord Mayor,
about the beginning of the year, on hearing a case of ayouug
woman who had broken windows, stated that about
one hundred and twenty-five cases of young women
had been brought up before him for breaking windows, that
they might obtain that protection in gaols which was denied
them anywhere else. He stated further, that in the poor
unions of the city of London they kept bull-dogs to growl
and snarl when the poor came to apply for relief. These
were statements which were not indebted to private fiction.
Mr. Cochrane then referred to the case of Ann Lynch, the details
of which have already appeared in TI. Sun, as well as the
details of the assault committed on two women by the under-
officers of Marlborough workhouse. He added that the ex-
posure in this lsst instance was due to the humane exertions
of one of the police—Sergeant Morton—who at first paid
the expenses out of his own pocket. He thought these de-
tails were enough to rouse every citizen of London
to give that protection to the poor which the
law at present denied them, He said the meeting
perhaps was not aware that Dr. Southwood Smith, in his
late report of the Fever Hospital, had stated that one-fifth of
the whole number of the patients were traceable to Marl-
borough workhouse, at Peckham—one-fifth of the whole
number being 125. And he states further, that in that
house they, at certain seasons of the year, compressed from
90 to 100 persons into the space allowed in the
hospital to three persons. He concluded by moving—
" That the number of distressed poor who apply to the
City unions is very great; that their necessities entitle them
to our warmest sympathies; that the treatment which they
too frequently experience is proved to be harsh, cruel, and
unjust, and that their sufferings Imperatively demand the
warmest exertions of every honest citizen in their behalf."
Rev. JAMES HARRIS seconded the motion. He never felt
more gratified than on that occasion in lending his aid to
the amelioration of his poor fellow-creatures, for he thought
it was the dawning of a day when the attention of Christian
England would be turned to facts which had escaped it for
the best part of his life. He did not think that the aristo-
cracy were aware of the state of the poor, he did not believe
that they could form an idea of it, and therefore lie was glad
that such an institution had risen to point their attention to
it. He said he had been called again and again, being the
incumbent of Mile End New Town, to see the poor, many
and many a. time, dying of starvation. They submitted to
starvation and death even, out of the strengthof their better
feelings, rather than apply to these workhouses, which he
did not think were a blessing to this land. He augured suc-
cess to the society from the strength of sympathy which had
been stirred, and from the presence of their present Chair-
man within the legislature of the country. Ths speaker
paid a compliment to the philanthropy of Mr. Cabbele Mr.
Walter, and Mr. Ferranti, and concluded by seconding the
resolution.
Mr. SIMMONS, before the resolution was put to the meet-
ing, wished to be allowed to say a few words. He said lie
was one of those cruel individuals, the City union guardians.
—(Hear, hear.) He had come there that day like any other
citizen, merely to hear what might be proposed to the con-
sideration of the meeting. He had not come with the inten-
tion of making a speech, but after hearing the speech of the
eloquent gentleman who moved the resolution he felt called
on to rectify some of the statements which had been made.
Perhaps it was not known that the guardians of the city of
London Union were elect( d by the free suffrages of their
fellow-citizens in the parish to which they belong, or that
they were honorary servants, and unpaid. Instead of there
being 50 of them, there w ere nearer a hundred. Now these very
guardians,these maligned indie idualswished to erect an asylum
for the casual poor ; and it was only on Tuesday last that a
special committee had been appointed to carry out that object.
But he was unwilling that the citizens should retire from that.
place without hearing the otherside; they had already heard
one side depicted by his friend, Mr. Cochrane, in tee most
glowing colours. It was surely an injustice to visit on the
guardians whatever casual oppression might be exercised by
their officers on some of the casual poor. There were men
among these guardians as ready to aid in the present move-
ment for the protection of the poor as the gentleman who had
so eloquently addressed the meeting. They were men who
were elected by their fellow-citizens to the discharge of
their duty as guardians, and, therefore, they were
not likely to be the men whom his friend would
make them believe they were. They found great
difficulty in managing the casual poor, a vast number of
whom came into that city ' • and perhaps injustice
might in
some Cases be done, but it was hard, he thought, to lay this
at at the door of
guardians, and to represent them as
a hard and cruel° set of people, as though they were
Sopposed to the
hadpo hor, or the Poor Man's Guardian
ociety. Re
the pleasure to stand up
himself and others
il besides him in that board of
guardians, and advocate the cause of the Poor Man's Guar-
dian Society. But it had been the policy to attribute any
cruelty which might be committed ted in Marlborough House to
the City union guardians,surely more than ought
to have been expected. He felt it so, especially-, when he
stood there and said he wished als of them
to remedy these evils. It was his wish as
anys wish of
but individuals to whomiaeaFunseion had been
large
others to do so ;
made had always stood in the way, alary
ploeVrhwewnaastsrie pro.
parish, and many Noble Lords lived there.
posal to build an asylum for the casual
made,
the parish of Marylebsne—the aristocratic parish of Maryle-
bone—had always been against it, and said they would not
have it. He said he was most sincere in deploring any irre-
gularities that had occurred in Marlborough workhouse, and
he wished most heartily to see the poor comfortable and their
wants supplied. The speaker concluded his statement by
thanking the chairman and the meeting for listening to him
with the attention which they had been pleased to bestow on
what he had to say.
The resolution was put and carried unanimously.
Mr. LUZE HANSARD moved, and Mr. HYDE CLARKE
seconded, the following resolution :—" That the efforts of the
Poor Man's Guardian Society in behalf of the poor gene-
rally, and especially in exposing the cruelties practised to-
-wards the poor in the union, Marlborough-house, Peckham,
entitle it to the warmest support of the citizens of London."
This was put and carried unanimously.
Mr. THostsenconßow moved, and Mr. PERCIVAL seconded,
the following :—" That for the convenience of the merchants
and citizens of London a subscription be opened in the city
on behalf the Poor Man's Guardian Society, and that Messrs.