The Sun.
London, England, 1858-11-03 00:00:00

MEETING OF MR. BAZLEY'S COMMITTEE.
A meeting of the general committee for securing
the election of Mr. Thomas Bazley as a representa-
tive of Manchester was held on Monday eveninc, in
the committee-room at the Exchange, at which
about 200 persons were present Mr. Edmund
Potter presided, in the absence of the chairman of
the committee, Mr. Alderman Watkins.
The CHAIRMAN congratulated the meeting upon
the evidence- it afforded him of the union of the
Liberal party. In conducting the election they
must not be too reliant, but must be prepared for
anything that might occur. During the next spring
the position of matters political would be such that
there would be the utmost need of a distinctive
character amongst politicians. (Hear, hear.) It
would be essentially necessary that they should be
able to say who was not and who was a reformer.
(Hear, hear.) The chairman read letters from G.
Hadfield., Esq., M.P., and Messrs. Mark Phillips,
Daniel Lee, W. R. Callendar, R. P. Greg, and
Alderman Lanworthy, promising adhesion and sup-
port to Mr. Bazley ; and he announced that there
were several gentlemen present who desired to say
a few words, and whom he was sure the meeting
would be glad to hear.
Mr. BAZLEY was received with loud applause.
After a reference to the death of Sir John Potter
he said that, whether it was resolved to support
him (Mr. Bazley) in the position he occupied, as
concentrating, he hoped, the liberal opinions of
Manchester, or to select a more able candidate and
representative, he hoped that :the canvass and elec-
tion would be conducted with order and regularity,
and without anything of a rancorous spirit. (Hear,
hear.) That Lord Stanley had declined the invita-
tion offered to him to represent the city might be
regarded, under existin., circumstances, as so fai
satisfactory ; but if his lordship had come forward
with sentiments as liberal as his (Mr. Bazley's),
and his eommitteb would have-ttasented, he would
have cheerfully retired to make way for his lord-
ship. (Cries of " No, no.") He hoped there might
be no other candidate in the field ; though it was
said a right hon. gentleman who was recently de-
feated in another borough intended to offer his ser-
vices. (Cries of "Name.") But if so, their good
friend the member for Bury would deal with that
right hon. gentleman—(laughter, and a cry of " No
red tape here")—and would send him to the place
whence he came. (Laughter.) Whether the other
gentleman who had been named would come for-
ward he was entireiy ignorant ; but he would dis-
parage no one. ' (Hear, hear.) The name of Fair-
bairn deserved to be honoured in Manchester—
(hear, hear)—and if he had to compete with the
son of Mr. Fairbairn, who had so long distinguished
himself as an eminent engineer, he hoped that the
election would be conducted with all the propriety
and fairness in the power of his friends. (Hear,
hear.) He hoped that the opinions he had avowed
in his [published] address were satisfactory to the
meeting, and would prove so to the great body of
the electors. (Hear, hear.) The great commer-
cial interests of this industrious city must be
maintained. We had achieved a great commercial
victory in the repeal of the corn laws. (Loud
applause.) We had brought food to the people ;
they were, at least, moderately well fed; and he
should rejoice if some system could be established
by which they could be as well taught. For in the
advance of the age it was very clear that increased
rights and privileges must be obtained for and
given to the people ; and therefore it was requisite
that the masses of the people should be, by the cul-
tivation of the mind, prepared for the exercise of
those rights and privileges. But all would argee
that peace must be the foundation upon which inu4
rest the affairs of a great and intelligent commercial
country. For such a country nothing was so im-
portant as peace—(hear, licar)—and nothing could
be more destructive of the vital energies of a coun-
try than the unfortunate existence of war. (Ap-
lause.) Not only had we, in war, to regret the
loss of valuable lives—there was also the financial
exhaustion that always accompanied war. That
retrenchment should be effected in this vast expen-
diture all would agree. Whatever might be said
to the contrary, there was lavish expenditure in
this country-. (Hear.) From the time when the
Duke of Wellington was Minister, to the present,
there had been an augmentation of 25 millions ster-
ling a year. He believed that the freehold of land
and buildings, of all that surrounded us, in this
great city, did not exceed 25 millions ; therefore we
were squandering yearly, in excess of expenditure,
the whole amount of the value of this great indus-
trial city. (Applause.) Though he was no advo-
cate for war, but a decided advocate of peace, he
would not shrink from the necessities of the coun-
try ; indeed, whenever it was required, he would be
unsparing in the means to give efficient strength to
this great nation. But the great question we should
have to consider was that of Reform. Without we
had representation co-extensive with taxation, we
should continue to have our finances taken from us
—to work weighted instead of having our energies
left unshackled—so that we should nothave free-
dom to exercise those energies which lie believed
we possessed in Lancashire. Therefore, in contend-
ing for "peace, retrenchment, and reform"—(ap-
plause)—he was but contending.forthe recognition
of that great combined triple principle which had
been universally approve d by the electors of this
great city. (Applause.) With perfect sincerity he
could assure his friends that he had no selfish object
or ambition he hoped they would rather regard
him as the impersonation of those great principles
of which they were the advocates, and that they
would feel that in supporting him they were sup-
porting those principles. (Applause.) He wished
to combine the support of every class of liberals ;
and, as a commercial candidate, he should be glad
if gentlemen who might upon those great principles
differ from him could upon those principles give
their support. If elected, it would be the great
object of his ambition to render Manchester not
only honourable in the Legislature, but useful in
promoting the great objects for which they were
contending—" Peace, retrenchment, and reform."
(Cheers.)
It. N. PHILIPS, Esq., M.P. (Bury), said that the
meeting was the beginning of an organisation for
an electioneering contest, in which 18,000 of the
inhabitants of Manchester were to give their ver-
dict on the great political questions of the day. He
rejoiced that they met as a united Liberal fainily--L
(Hear)—for to him nothing was more painful than
the schism that took place at the last election in poli-
tical relations that had existed from one's youth.
He felt, and he thought every liberal reformer mu. t
feel, that he owed a deep debt of gratitude to sonic
of those men who had fought the great contest on
the corn laws. (Loud applause.) He was old