The Sun.
London, England, 1867-09-04 00:00:00

THE REFORiTI FETE AND BANQUET.

A general meeting of the London Working Men's
Association was held last evening at the Association
Rooms, Bolt-court, Fleet-street, in reference to the
forthcoming fete and banquet at the Crystal Palace
on the 30th inst., in celebration of the passing of
the Reform Bill—Mr. G. Potter in the chair.
The CHAIRMAN said the first business of the meet-

ing was to confirm the action taken by certain
members of the association in conjunction with the
delegates from the trades and other societies in pro.
moting the proposed Reform fete and banquet.

Mr. STAjI" then moved—" That this association
nrtanrso thA action 1,7 rni,rnllnre of ihn
association, in conjunction with the delegates from

the societies of working men who took part in the
Reform Demonstration of December, 1866, in pro-
moting the Reform fete and banquet at the Crystal
Palace on the 30th inst., and empower the committee
to announce the fete as under the auspices of the
Working Men's Association."
Mr. WICKS seconded the resolution, which was
unanimously adopted.
The SECIIETAItT then stated that as secretary of
the Reform Fete Committee he bad received the
following letters from Earl Russell and Mr. Glad-
stone, M.P. :
" Pembroke Lodge, Richmond Park, Aug. 31.
beg you will thank the committee, in
my name, for doing me the honour of inviting me
to the Reform fete and banquet on 30th September.
As, however, I expect to bc in Ireland at that time,
it will be out of my power to accept the invitation.
It would not be candid of me to stop here. I must
add, therefore, that I am too uncertain what effects
Lord Derby's leap in the dark' may produce to be
a fit and enthusiastic companion for those who wish
to celebrate the passing of the Reform Bill of 1867.

" Other measures, unconnected with the reform of
Parliament, appear to me to be necessary to assure
the future of this country. Among these measures
are to be mentioned, in my opinion, a general, sound,
unsectaria❑ education of the people ; the abolition
of church rates, and a redress of grievances, both in
regard to the relations of landlord and tenant, and
of the maintenance of the Church of the minority,
of which the Irish, as a nation, justly complain.
NN,Uponil
linfluence they have acquired
present Government
acollnctehievsee,
use measuresteiD flt
to resist and suppress those remedial measures which
in my judgment, are absolutely essential for the fu-
ture welfare and honour of the United Kingdom.
" I beg you will submit this letter to the com-
mittee, and remain, your obliged and faithful ser-
vant, " RUSSELL."

The letter from .fr. Gladstone was dated from

" llawarden, Chester, Aug. 27," and after refer-
ring to his attendance at the proposed banquet,
about which negotiations arc still pending, goes on

o say :

" It appears to me that such a celebration as your
committee. propose is amply justified by the great
extension of the franchise which has been given by
the act, and that it will tend to create an enhanced
sense of the duty which it imposes, as well as the
powers and privileges it confers. Of course, your
satisfaction would have been more complete had some
other parts of the subject, and especially the redistri-
bution of seats, been treated in the same comprehen-
sive manner as the borough suffrage, and had the
enfranchisement in boroughs not been connected
with provisions so inconvenient and irrational with
respect to the payment of rates through the owner.
—I have the honour to be, sir, yours faithfully,
it W. E. GLADSTONE."

The Secretary said he would take this opportuui' y
of stating, in reference to a paragraph appearing in
an obscur3 weekly paper of last Sunday, and copied
into some of the daily papers, that the name of no
member of Parliament had been used in connection
with the proposed banqaet but on the authority of
his own handwriting. The resolution adopted by
the association that evening, approving the proceed-
ings of the committee, was a refutation of the other
portion of the paragraph in question.
Mr. PACKER then moved, and Mr. Thomas
seconded, the following resolution, which was car-
ried :—" That this association recommend the
lestab-
lishment of a Fund, tc be devoted to paying the
legitimate expenses and promoting the return of
working men to the reformed Parliament as the re-
iresentative of labour, and that the committee be
instructed to prepare a plan for working out such
p:oposition, and submit the same to a general
meeting of members foi approval."
On the motion of Mr. Pardoe, seconded by Mr.
Adams, the sub-commitee on labour were requested
to consider the propriety of at once convening a
delegate meeting of the London trades' societies, to
take into consideration tie position of those societies
consequent on the stale of the law respecting
picketing, as laid down by Baron Bramwell at the
late trial of the tailors atthe Central Criminal Court.
The meeting then closed with a vote of thanks to
the ellairpp And the IWQrmi Fete Cowwiam