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

Mr. BEALES, in opening the proceedings, expressed
his pleasure at meeting his friends in this Trafalgar-
square Parliament—this people's Parliament—to
consider a subject so deeply interesting to them as
their right, their unquestionable and constitutional
right, to be represented in that other Parliament
now sitting at Westminster-hall, and which, with-
out representing the people, claimed the power to
make laws and impose taxes obligatory upon the
people:; but, which laws and taxes, according to the
spirit and letter of the Constitution, according to all
the principles of true representative government,
and civil and political liberty, that Parliament had
no real right or authority to make or impose without
the people's consent. (Cheers.) It was time there
should be no more mistake or misunderstanding
about what were the people's positive and clear
rights, for they ought to be the creators of that Par-
liament now sitting at Westminster-hall. Unless
created and chosen by the people, that Parliament
had no constitutional or national existence, and
was exercising only au usurped and unconstitutional
authority. (Cheers.) It was asked why these meet-
ings and this agitation were continued when all they
sought was so favourably placed. His answer
was that the victory was not secure, and the people
w_ould_not lay down their arms, nor abate one jot of
their exertions until the victory was won beyond the
possibility of trick or evasion. (Cheers.) It had been
told them that the Reform League was to be resisted
to the utmost. That was only to be expected ; but
to be forewarned was to be forearmed, and he could
tell their 'enemies that the League would not be
found sleeping at their posts. He disliked all allu-
sions to physical force, as calculated to alienate
friends and alarm the timid ; but the league had
shown that it was not slow to act when action was
required, and it would be time enough to resist force
in self-defence when force was used against them.
(Cheers.) He proceeded to discuss the rumoured
bill of the Government, and he held that it was ap-
parent by all that had transpired that the people's
cause was not yet won, inasmuch 'as the Govern-
ment did not intend to give the people their full and
legitimate rights. He concluded by saying that the
people would frankly welcome from the Government
a full and honest measure of Reform ; but that they
would denounce and resist to the utmost any halt-
ing and dishonest measure contrived .to trick and
cheat them, or any large portion of them, under any
pretext whatever, out of their birthright.
Dr. PEturrr moved the following resolution :
" That any measure of Parliamentary Reform,
although based upon household suffrage, as now re-
ported of the Government plan, will be inefficient
and unsatisfactory as regarded the just and full re-
presentation of intellect and labour, unless such
suffrage be made substantially identical with re-
sidential manhood suffrage, by the right of voting
being given to lodgers equally with all the occupiers,
whether as owners or tenants, of houses or parts of
houses, unaccompanied by any ratepaying or other
restrictive conditions, and be also protected in its
free exercise by the ballot ; the period of residence
in no case to be required to exceed 12 months." In
moving this he said that even men with fair incomes
could not obtain houses for themselves in London,
but were obliged to become lodgers, and a. lodger
franchise would give the vote to members of pro-
fessions, as well as to the working men.
Mr. MANTLE seconded the resolution, and he de-
clared amid loud cheers that the people were not
afraid of the Government, but that the Government
had shown itself afraid of them. As to the Parlia-
ment,.he said, the people would have confidence in
it when it proved it had confidence in the people ;
and if the people were forced to a struggle, that
struggle would end only with the existence of the
Parliament. (Cheers.) The people, be continued,
would sit in perpetual session until they had their
rights. They had met in Hyde-park, and they had'
rolled the ball down to Trafalgar-square, when it
would be easy, he said, amid cheers, and pointing in
the direction of the houses, to send it rolling that
way. He concluded, amid continued cheers, by say-
ing that those who had taken up this cause would
make all Government in this country impossible un-
til justice were done to the people of the United
Kingdom.
Mr. BRADLAUGH, who was loudly called for, ad-
dressed the assemblage. He said those who were
carrying on this struggle had not entered into it
without counting the cost, and that the people of
England, confident in their own strength and in
their own manhood, were determined to petition for
their rights, not ou paper, but with the loud thun-
derings of their demands at the very door of the
Houses of Parliament. What Lord Derby had
offered them had not been offered in love, but in
fear, and the people would have the full measure of
the rights this time. It was told them that if in-
trusted with power the people would legislate
wrongly, but how had the present power legislated?
This legislation had brought rebellion in one part,
and the people could do no worse than that. He
told the people to be like a resistless wave, and if
those who held the power should dare to stem the
tide of democracy that they should unflinchingly
wreck them.
The resolution was then carried amid acclamation.