The Sun.
London, England, 1856-04-24 00:00:00

• • M.... "WM. ,
/i
00,11' R
C <
• NA
• ..,
• • .
h.- -7.. .0 \k , • t.
kg _ .
';
,Otd:( ' f„.544t.-! •14,01‘k "
lEU DRorr.tt, .
(ttii

[PRICE 4D. STAMPED Elto

calling your child a devil ?" Such women are much
to 'blame. A man and a woman should work toge-
ther, and then all would work together for gopd. I
remember some 'years ago a noble lord staying in
this town, but though these noble lords are -called
noble there is very little nobleness about them. I never
call them noble, and ritnever bow my knee to any man,
Ist him be _whom he will, king or subject. (Cheers.)
This lord's wife came into the borough, and be had been
beating her at an hotel. She was sitting with the bar-
mai 1, when she said, "Oh dear I wish I was as happy
as you are 1" The barmaid said, " I should think you
are happier than I." The poor lady vplied, " My morn-
ing brings sorrow, and my sorrow lasts all day." So
you see it is not the wealthiest, it is not the richest,
that is the happiest. It is not the rich that rides in car-
riages that are happiest. There are many heavy hearts
riding in carriages. When you see women, like Mrs.
Dore, bending under the iron hand of tyranny as she
did, what must your language lee ? Da you not cry out.
for liberty ? Liberty from what ? Liberty from-a tyranni-
cal husband ; liberty from a cruel father ; liberty from
a licentious man ; liberty from the image of the devil ;
for a man is the image of the devil. that treats his wife
so, and in the end he will bo lost. withoqt :repentance.
The woman that has a husband that knows how to use
a wife may think herself highly favoured. The woman
that has a husband she can tell her *affairs to, and tell
her every trouble, and that will put everything to the
best, may think herself highly favoured. Such are not,
often to be found. Don't you think, then, it .is high
time to petition, and that Mr. Erskine Perry's bill
should be supported by us wodien ? (" Yes, yes.")
Now it is to get us the power to keep on our homes
that we are trying. (A. voice, "And very proper too.")
It is to be able, if we have 'property, to, call it our own.
(Loud cheers.)
Mrs. Wain seconded the motion.
Mrs. CocKAYNE moved a petitionko'lliis Rouge of
Commons, and that it be sent to Sir J. Walmsley for
presentation.
Mr. EMERY, who acted as manager, .here suggested
that the resolution previously moved had not been put
to the meeting, and wished the proceedings : to re-
gular. ' „
Mrs. VirIGPIELI? COL11(1 not see the necessity of doing
so. Why could not they go on quietly.? The fact'was,
if they ever Maio a mistake, the men were allways ready
to tell them of it. .

The resolution was then put by Mr. EMERY; ant car-
ried.

Mr. EMERY was then called upon to read the petition
to the House of Commons, moved by Mrs. COCICAYNR,
as fol!ows

"To THE HONOURABLE THE HOUSE OF COMMONS OF
GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND IN PARLIAMENT
ASSEMBLED—
" Thb Petition of the Women of Leicester in "Meeting as-
sembled,
HIIMIILY SHOWETII,—That your petitioners observe with-
satisfaction the improved public opinion in reference to tt,
position and claims of women.
" That while your petitioners appreciate the benevolent in-
stitutions ofphilanthropists and members of your honourable
house, in seeking to protect women froth personal violence,
your petitioners doubt the policy and utility of reviving
barbarous and bygone modes of punishment, believing that
such punishment would further brutalise and degrade those
who come under its lash.

" That your petitioners would propose to your honourable
house the propriety of legislating in the- direction of limiting
the power of those who become amenable to the present law
by protecting the rights, and extending the powers of married
women, so that women shall have control over their earnings
and their homes, and not be liable to have.their share of the
income and of the household abused and misipplied by un-
worthy and profligate husbands.
" That your petitioners believe these ends would be best
promoted by supporting the motion of Sir Erskine Ferry,
which proposes a revision of the marriage laws, with a view
to the protection of the homes, the earnings, and the pro-
perty of women, and your petitioners pray your honourable
house that such a motion may be adopted, and that our posi-
tion and claims may be considered and investigated in rela-
tion thereto.

" And your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray,"

Mrs. WIIFFIELD proceeded to second its adoption
She said—l highly approve of the petition, and it should
be sent to the proper place at once. It's no use making
so many bites of a cherry. Sir Joshua Walmsley has
been very kind to us so far. (A. Voice—" That's right.")
We have wrote to him and he has answered our letter,
two or three times, and gives us every information upon
the subject upon Coth bills. He has been very kind in-
aeed, and done all in his power for us ; therefore I feel
it my dory to carry him a vote of thanks on this occa-
sion. (A Voice—" If I had four hands I'd hold 'ern up
for that.")
Mrs. COCKAYNE—I second that ; for I think we can't
return two better members, (A Voice—" I'd never
send then again.")
Mr. EMERY—The petition hai not Leen put to the
meeting.
Mrs. WIGPIELD—Why, it has.
Mr. EUSIIY—No, you are wrong.
Mrs. WIGFIELD —Now, you see again, if our mistakes
will pass over, you won't let them.
Mr. EMERY—Let us do things properly.
Mrs. WIGFIELD —Well, I am generally in the habit of
making mistakes, and this is only one among the rest.
The petition was put and carried.
The vote of thanks to Sir J. Walnesley was put and
carried, one or two old women objecting. One remarked
" If you can't cend better than them I wouldn't send
any at ill. The next time we'll have two gool old
Tories."
Mrs. WIGFIELD—We are about to pass a yote of
thanks to our worthy mayor. I can tell you, women,
that it is a shame' he has not a wife (Cheers, and a
vo o', " Ile deserves ore.") He is one of the kindest
gentlemen I ever spoke to in my life.' It was with
pleasure he let us have the hall for our meeting. Our
last meeting was condemned by one of the reporters ;
but I did not wonder at it, because we brought forward
the bad conduct of the corn-factors and the farmers,
who know they are living upon our blood and
sinews, and therefore they did not want them to bear
what we said. The farmers are an ignorant; brutith
sort of men, who think of nothing bat getting money.
They are like'tlie Jeiv--"G-et it honest if you can, but
whether or no, get it." If it had gone forward as 'it
should, perhaps that reporter in his old age would have
had to ray, " I should have -converted this or that man,
but-it would not do." Igt.orant as we are, they might
do us justice. At our first meeting there was two re-
porters here, and I came forward as a strntger. Now,
the reperter fir' one of the two papere did me justice,
though I was in a confused state, but the other in-
sulted me. It was called "novel meeting." What did
he mean by a novel meeting ? Die he think that we
came here to romance and tell tales about Jack the
Giant Killer ? But such things suit that paper, because
it is circulated amongst a class of men that don't knol
their right hands from their left—l mean the farmers.
(Cheers.) If that had read our proceedings, they would
have been led to think, for .I told them what the
Scrip',nres say—" He that withholdeth the corn from
the poor, the people shall curse him." But this
didn't appear in -the paper I am speaking of, but
.
then put in a semicolon, and a little further on
there was a sort of semicircle—what some would
call a half-moon. You may think I am like
a town-horse—in all parts ; but I once went into the
house of a cow-keeper, and you know they are brothers-
in-la ,v to the farmers. He did-not know I bad anything
to do with thie meeting. He said the women of Leices•
ter were a pack of I
fools but when it was explained to
him, even he could see that the paper I spoke of did not
S do us justice ; and he said if he was the women be would
I goer) the conductor of the paper and have his house
about his ears. I thought I should like to know what
was said about our mets,ing, so I began to talk to a gen-
tleman in the street.—[Come young man (pointing to
one of the reporters, who had ceased taking notes), you
look at your paper.] This gentleman I spoke to said he
had compared the two papers together concerning our
former meeting, and said you were served scandalous in
one. " But," said he, " when I want to find the truth
I never look at that paper." So that you see it gives
me some consolation to find that they never take any
notice of that paper. At the second meeting they
treated us in the same way, and say I diverted the
audience by referring to General Johnson's election at
Loughborough, and by ' telling a story " about the
Exiles of Siberia, and so they e teased it off to,
the farmers who read their paper. We can only impute
it to his own ignorance. The majority of the respect•
able people in the town thought the womea had done,
themselves great credit by their meeting. A man came
to my house last Friday, and looked as large as life,
wit* ring !on his finger. He says, -"Have
you any-
thing to do with this meeting ?" I ;told him a little.
why asked hy we got the meeting up
? He might have
been a constable' of the parish under the' old coryora ion.
He said, "I do not suppose it will be got up in a, man-
like manner." I told him we Should not ask the men
to assist us. He then said, "Do you think you 'are
capable of getting up a meeting 1... I 6
said, Yes.
He then asked how we"
. got up the handbills 1 I told
him that 'was my business, and I said to him, "Are
"
you irem the Mercury offices Sir ? He said he was
not. I could not find out who he was then. He said
he expected there was a few poor women who bad
Put their pence together to get a few handbills, aud,
he wanted to know if he should be admitted to their
meeting. I told him I was_ sure he would not.-,--
(Cheere.) "Then (said he),'you area selfish lot, and will
be a diegtage to the town on Tuesday morning." "So'
it mrteebe," says I ; "but do you suppose men are going
to do as they like, and that Women are to have no voice
in vele/ ; if you do, you are very much mistaken, they
arn't going to rest as they have done." ‘f Oh (says he),
you mean that, do you ?" " I do," says I. "Then
(says he) you'll be a selfish set, and you ought to take
this for your guide ; you ought to make people tempe-
rate, and then there [would -be no• women-beating and
women applying to the parish while their husbands
are in prison, for then one poor person will be-able to
keep another." (A. voice :'"Oh, devil take him.") I
told him oppression bad gone too far to let one poor
person keep another. I told him I bad not always
moved in a low sphere. I -once had more, and bad a
disposition to assist others if I bad it in my power to
lo it. He said, " Well, I consider it will be a clis-
grace to you if you hold the meeting." I found out
that he was from " the Temperance," and I says to
him, "As for temperance, we 'can name that, for there
is very few that will speak on the habits of men with-