The Sun.
London, England, 1867-03-12 00:00:00

Reform Demonstration in Trafalgar-square.

Last evening the Reform League held its demon-
stration, adjourned from the acknowledged failure
of the previous Monday, in Trafalgar-square. The
placard calling the meeting announced as the attrac-
tion that the square should be "specially lighted,"
and half an hour before the advertised time, which
had been fixed, by the experience of the previous
failure, at 8 o'clock, as the " right time for working
men," there was not only a very large gathering,
mostly of roughs and boy s, about the Nelson column,
but every point which could command a view of the
column, even so far back as the steps of St. Martin's
Church, was crowded with spectators who did not
care to venture among the rough specimens of their
" own flesh and blood" in the square itself. Endea-
vours to rouse the Reform enthusiasm of the crowd
were made by men who offered forsale books of " Re-
form songs, published under the authority of the
League," and adorned with the "portrait of the pre-
sident, Edmond Beales, Esq., M.A." But the trade
was very limited, for those who had money dared not
make any exposure of it in the face of the assembled
vagabonds, who did not hesitate, even while the
meeting was proceeding, to commit openly acts of
violence upon persons in the crowd, and plunder
them of whatever valuables they had.
At the time when the meeting commenced the
large space between the column and the fountains
was quite full, and there must have been several
thousand persons present. The majority of these
were rough in their dress, and were evidently of the
lowest class of labouring men, intermixed with the
regular roughs and a very large number of boys and
youths. The special lighting was an illumination by
means of the out-door naphtha lamps used by cos-
termongers, which were hoisted upon long sticks,
and interspersed about the platform (the base of the
Nelson column) and among the crowd. The people
evidently were disappointed atthedisplay, for when
the lights were brought into position there were
loud cries of " Do you call them lime lights?"
The appeal made to the people by " Order of the,
Council-of the Reform League" was as follows :
" Men of London ! Beware of a comproinise be-
tween the unwilling Tory Reformers and false Libe-
rals, whose only object is to defeat the full enfran-
chisement of the people. Our meetings and demon-
strations have been sneered at, but their effect is
seen in the secession of ultra-Tories from the present
Government, and the manifest anxiety of all parties
to come to a settlement of the Reform question ;'
but their idea of a settlement and ours differ very
widely. The victory is ours if we do not relax our
exertions. Those at the helm have undertaken no
willing task, their heart is not in the work, and an
attempt will still be made, if we are not firm, to
cheat the unrepresented millions out of the franchise
by some delusive and fragmentary measure. If,
then, we really value our rights, we must all be up
and doing ; firm to our duty, pressing on to the
hour of triumph with earnestness of purpose and
singleness of heart."
Soon after 8 o'clock Mr. Beales, M.A., accom-
panied by Mr. C. Bradlaugh, and others of the Re-
form League, several of whom were present on the
previous Monday, made their way through the
crowd, and were hoisted or pulled on to the granite
level with Landseer's Lions.