The Sun.
London, England, 1866-12-11 00:00:00

Reform Meeting at Burton-on-Trent.

On Friday evening last, a public meeting was
held in Messrs. Bass and Co.'s large branding room,
Station-street, to hear addresses on the question of
reform from Mr. Edmond Beales, Mr. Geo. Potter
(London), Mr. George Mantle (Birmingham), the
Rev. E. Browning, and a number of townsmen. The
Rev. D. B. Joseph (Particular Baptist), presided,
and in the body of the room were, amongst others,
Mr. Bass, M.P. for Derby ; Mr. R. S. Tomlinson,
J.P. ; Mr. Hamor Bass, Mr. W. 11. Worthington.
The chairman opened the meeting with an excellent
speech, and afterwards stated that the committee
had received letters from various gentlemen and
local members of Parliament; and he read the fol-
lowing:—" Old Palace-yard, S.W., Nov. 29, 1866.
—Sir, I have to acknowledge the receipt of the in-
vitation of the Working Men's Reform Committee
to take part in the proceedings of the Reform meet-
ing to be held at Burton on the 7th of next month,
which I regret to be obliged to decline. Though I
supported the bill introduced last session by Mr.
Gladstone to the utmost of my power, and spoke in
favour of it, and regret that it was unsuccessful, I
am not prepared to adopt the sweeping condemna-
tion of the House of Commons contained in the first
resolution to be proposed at the'me,ting; nor can I
pledge myself to be satisfied with nothing less than
manhood suffrage and vote by ballot as the only just
basis of representation. If present, therefore, I
should be obliged, either by silence apparently to
adopt the resolution, and expose myself to much
misrepresentation, or by protesting against it in-
terrupt the unanimity and harmony of the meeting.
On the whole, therefore, I beg to decline the i❑vita-
tion, and hope to have a more favourable opportu-
nity of explaining and defending my views on some
future occasion.—l remain, &c.,

" EDWARD M. BULLER.

" To Mr. T. Metcalfe."

" Raugemoor, Burton-on-Trent, Nov. 21, 1866.
—Mr. T. Metcalfe—Sir, absence from home during
the past week has prevented my replying sooner
to your letter of the 16th inst., in which you are
good enough to invite me to take a part in the re-
form meeting proposed to be held at Burton on the
7th proximo. I regret that, after due consideration,
I feel compelled respectfully to decline the honour
you propose to me ; and I do so because, while 1
will yield to no one in my sincere wish to promote
both the material and moral welfare of the working
classes, and while I am most anxious to assist in
passing a measure of reform which will concede to
them that increased influence in the representation
of the country to which I believe them to be justly
entitled, and which will attempt to deal with the
gross inequalities at present existing between popu-
lation and representation, I cannot consent to ap-
pear, in however direct a manner, as a supporter of
a meeting pledged to and conducted by gentlemen
who are the leading advocates of manhood suffrage.
It is possible that at some distant period the spread
of education and intelligence may bring about the
changes you desire ; but at the present 1 am con-
vinced that the feeling of the great majority of the
electoral body—of the wealth, of the intelligence
of the country, is opposed to any extension of
the franchise which does not recognise either pro-
perty or education as its basis ; and for myself, I
must confess that I would far rather remain as we
are, unfair as I consider our present electoral
system in many respects to be, than adopt so un-
certain and revolutionary a measure as manhood
suffrage. You must forgive•me for saying, in con-
clusion, that the difficulties which now obstruct the
passing a liberal and generous, but not sweeping
measure of reform, are far more likely to be in-
creased than diminished by the public advocacy of
such extreme opinions as those contained in the re-
solutions you propose to submit to the reform
meeting on the 7th.—l have the honour to be, &c.,
M. A. Bass. _

Mr. EDWARDS proposed the first resolution, and
Mr. G. B. Capes seconded the same. It was to
the effect that the present House of Commons,
by their rejection of Mr. Gladstone's Reform Bill,
was utterly unworthy of their confidence, and they
were determined to agitate for, and use all lawful
means to secure, registered residential manhood
suffrage, and vote by ballot, to protect electors
from undue influence and intimidation at elections.

Mr. BEALES supported the resolution, and urged
upon the working men of Burton to form a branch
of the Reform League, and join with them in the
great national movement for the restoration of their
own rights and those of their fellow-countrymen.
Mr. BASS, M.P. for Derby, although he bad de-.
clined to take part in supporting or seconding aDY
resolution contained in the programme, rose at the
opposite side of the room to the platform, and made
some remarks amidst considerable inte.zruption.
Mr. MANTLE, of Birmingham, supported a reso-
lution recommending a redistribution of seats, and
replied to the speech of Mr. Bass, amid the cheers
of the auditory.
Other resolutions followed.

THE PARIS EXIIIBITION.—In consequence of the
numerous applications for assistance which are
being continually made to the British Charitable Fund of
by workmen who have been disappointed in obtain-
ing employment at the Exhibition building, we are re-
quested by the committee of that charity to caution work-
men against going to Paris to seek such employment, un-
less they have obtained beforehand a positive engagement
through persons officially connected with the Exhibition.
The committee of the British Charitable Fund positively
decline to afford assistance of any kind to this class of
applicants.