The Sun.
London, England, 1841-09-30 00:00:00

ST. •SAVIOU R'S, SOUTHWARK.

On Tuesday afternoon a meeting of the members of the
New Reform Parochial Institution of St. Saviour's,
Southwark, took place at the Peacock, Holland-street,
Blackfriars, for the purpose of considering the propriety.;
of calling upon the Reformers and others throw ;liout
the United Kingdom passively to resist the payment
of the assessed taxes, should the memorials which are
about being presented to her Majesty not to prorogue
Parliament before the Corn-laws are taken into consi-
deration not to be attended to.

Pearse was unanimously voted to the chair.
After the notice calling the meeting together was
read,

The CHAIRMAN said that he fully concurred in the
object for which they were assembled, for, looking at the
reports of the debates in Parliament, it was evident that
Sir Robert Peel had no intention to introduce any bene-
ficial measure as regarded an alteration in the present
system of the Corn-laws ; the present meeting had not
assembled for the express purpose of opposing the Go-
vernment, but to suggest to the country at large the pro-
priety of making such a demonstration as could not be
withstood, provided the memorials to her Majesty, from
all parts of the empire, not to prorogue Parliament until
the present Corn-laws were taken into consideration were
not listened to. A resolution and address would be pro-
posed, and it would remain with the meeting whether
they were adopted or rejected.
Mr. FORD then rose to move the first resolution,
which was •as follows :—" Resolved, That while we
yield to no class of persons in loyalty and affection to
her Most Gracious Majesty, we cannot help regretting
the apathy of her Majesty's present advisers in post-
poning bringing forward those measures which are
beneficial to the people. That for past years all imtv,r
taut questions which have been advantageous
`.o -the
community have been forced from the Min;:iter of the
day ; and this meeting being convinced t
tion will be effected in the Corn and P 12.4 t no altera-
:ovision-laws with-
out a similar demonstration to
gnat which caused the
Catholic Emancipation and
: forin Bills, induces the
present meeting to hrlle that their fellow-citizens will
refuse paying their assessed taxes until the great and
important nief...:itire regarding an alteration in the present
highly ir,jurious and tyrannical Corn-laws is effected ;
and we earnestly call upon all classes of persons, who
are convinced of the iniquities of a law which is so
highly injurious to all, to unite with us in carrying out
the above principle, thus establishing the axiom that
taxation and representation is the first principle of the
English Constitution." Such was the resolution which
had been entrusted to him to move, and he felt happy
in not being obliged to say much upon it, as the subject
was so well understood from one end of the country to
the other. That the people of England were in a state
approaching starvation could not be denied, although the
Duke of Wellington had stated the reverse to be the case.
Let them look at Bolton, there families were worse
fed than the dogs of the aristocracy. What was the
condition of the hand-loom weavers and the artisans of
Sheffield ? Why, they were literally starving. This dread-
ful state of things led to the question, ought it to be so ?
and the answer was in the negative, nor would it exist
one hour if the Government acted honestly towards the
people. There was an abundance of foreign corn in the
country, for only last week 300 vessels discharged their
cargoes, and the granaries at this moment were groan-
ing beneath the weight of the produce of other countries.
In these granaries it would, however, remain, until the
monopolist was enabled by the sliding scale to bring it
out at the full price. Now, if a Government which
really had the welfare of the nation at heart was in ex-
istence, that corn would be sold to the people at the low-
est possible price. And to show the evils which the
Corn-laws produced ten years ago, when a much less
population was in existence than at present, he would
read an extract from one of the leading articles of the
Times of the 27th of August, 1831. In alluding to Mr
Jacob's report, the writer says—" But admitting at
once the ascertained growth of population, and
the dearth of demand for labour, .as affirmed
on the tables to which we have been adverting, that
is to say, granting that the power of buying
food has not kept pace with the want of it, was ever
madness so combined with inhumanity as in the
legislation of the British Parliament with reference to
the supply of corn ? As our people have become more
numerous, as mouths have multiplied, while according
to these returns the produce of the soil of England for
many years past has been stationary, if not declining,mae
our lawgivero have been straining every effort to make
kto
food more inaccessible, instead of more attainablermee,s
the poor. Far from inviting bread to the
door, they have been expelling it—first
prohi-
bition, next, and to this moment, by sever
by
pinch-
ing duties. They hare striven to check
is populationno better than
artificial famine. Why, such a system bye opapeoeodn
draw down some signal visitation
enough to
deliberate rebellion against Providence,
trace a course so instant means be not taken to retrace
itstp eo
fn
itself
us f
inde-
fensible." language of the Times ten
of the Ministry. It
nt
with some of the men in
was now in the sain
years ago, whenSueii
rt. as
was t
seconded the resolution.
Mr. WATERS
whom it position,pa. ssed so severe a censure in 1831.
power upon
A GENTLEMAN said that he had always been a warm
admirer of Sir Robert reel, and hailed with pleasure his
return to office, for he fully
• forward measures w would have been bene-
ehx.piected that
brought he would have
brought
bene-
ficial to the country at large. • It was with deep regret