The Sun.
London, England, 1866-12-20 00:00:00

Reform Demonstration at WhitechapeL

Last evening there was a reiorm demonstration,
held at the instance of the Tower Hamlets branch
of the Reform League, at the Pavilion Theatre,
Whitechapel-road. The audience was a very large
one, the admission being by ticket.
Mr. BEALES occupied the chair, and on making
his appearance on the stage was greeted with loud
cheers. He was accompanied by Colonel Dickson,
Messrs. Baxter Langley, George Potter, Bradlaugh,
Rothwell, Connolly, Cohen, Wicherlow, Bowkett,
Weston, Mantel!, Davis, and the Rev. J. Thomas.
The CHAIRMAN, in opening the proceedings, sail
that he was rejoiced to meet the men of East Lon-
don, for the reform movement had met with many
earnest supporters at the East-end. He congratu-
lated the meeting on the present position of this
movem2nt for securing to the great body of the
people their constitutional rights as regarded the
franchise. (Cheers.) The most talented, philosophi-
cal, and respectable of the Tory publications, the
Quarterly Review, had stigmatised the Reform Ad
sociatiou as a most arrogant society, which disgusted
all who were not members of the association
itself. If he could ju lge by the warm recei tion
which the Reform League had met with at the va-
rious meetings held in England, Scotland, and Ire-
land, they might congratulate each other upon the
enthusiastic manner in which the people had taken
up the question, while, on the other hand, no one
had ventured to convene meetings to oppose it ; and
so far as he was aware only one man, Mr. Bass,
had ventured to raise his voice against it, in a room
attached to his own brewery, but which was com-
pletely drowned by the disapprobation of the meet-
ing. It could not be alleged that among the hun-
dreds of thousands of men, including merchants,
capitalists, clergymen, and others, who supported
this movement, there were not many who had some-
thing to lose. He repelled with indignation the
charge that had been made against him, that he had
rendered the cause unpopular, nor could it b 3 said
to be unpopular when they saw an English, an Irish,
and a Scotch Reform League. He claimed for every
man morally responsible the principle of the suffrage,
which was the only thing that could place the people
in the position of free citizens. Their meetings, which
had been distinguished by the greatest regard for
law and order, had abundantly refuted the charges
made against the people by those who only wanted
an excuse to continue the system of oppression
which had existed. It had been said that manhood
suffrage would enable the working classes to domi-
nate over all other classes. That was merely an as-
sumption based upon the opinion of their opponents
that the interest of the working classes was opposed
to that of all other classes of society ; and, secondly,
that if they had the suffrage, they would use it for
evil purposes. If the first assumption were correct,
it only proved how imperative reform was, because
it was evident that the interests of the governing
classes were opposed to the working classes. He
denied that there was the slightest reason to believe
that if manhood suffrage was granted it would be
used for evil purposes. Shame upon those who made
the allegation, and shame upon the working classes
if they submitted to it. (Cheers.) Had there been
any instances of manhood suffrage in America or
any of our colonies being used for evil purposes It
had been conclusively shown by Mr. Hutton, for
many years a member of the Australian Government
and legislature, that before the introduction of man-
hood suffrage and the ballot the elections presented
the same features of violence and immorality as
existed in this country at the present time—a sys-
tem which had been completely put an end to
by the adoption of those two principles. Yet there
were members of parliament who sneered at the re-
form movement, and among them the member for
the Tower Hamlets. (Hisses for Mr. Ayrton, and
cries of " He'll be turned out next time.") Then,
again, the Adullamite member for Lambeth had
thought proper to sneer at America, and to say,
" God forbid this country should ever be brought to
the condition of that country." Just conceive a man
sneering at a country which had just conducted
with remarkable ability one of the most gigantic
wars on record, and yet immediately it was ended
had set itself to work, and had already reduced the
public debt by £30,000,000, while in time of peace
our Government had never been able to reduce our
public debt, which was incurred for the most part in
foreign wars, in any appreciable degree. (Hear,
hear.) Conceive a man sneering at a country in
which every child was educated at the expense of
the State, and in which pauperisni did not exist,
when, if he chose to look around him, he would find
the most frightful pauperism and the most deplor-
able ignorance. (Hear, hear.) He concluded by
urging upon them that, inasmuch as par-
liament would never reform itself, it was their
bounden duty to support the Reform League, which
would enable them to bring such a pressure upon
the legislature as must compel them to do the people
justice. (Cheers.)

Mr. GATES then moved, and Mr. BRAND seconded
the following resolution :—" That this meeting,
whilst expressing its unfeigned contempt and in-
dignation at the means resorted to by a Tory faction,
aided by a clique of sham Liberals to stifle and
overthrow the moderate measure introduced by the
late Government, records its want of confidence in
the present Ministry, and pledges itself to accept at
their hands no measure as a settlement of this ques-
tion that does not fully and satisfactorily restore to
the people their natural and constitutional rights—
manhood suffrage, registered and residential, and
protected by the ballot." Both the speakers were
working men, and made very effect ive addresses.
The latter, with respect to the claim made to limit
the franchise to the household suffrage, put it to
the meeting whether, supposing a prosperous trades-
man occupying a house for a long period of his life
was suddenly reduced by unforeseen calamity to
occupy lodgings, he was less competent to vote for
a member of Parliament than he was before.

Mr. BRADLAUGU supported the resolution in a
speech which produced considerable effect. The
resolution was also supported by Mr. MANTELL,
and carried by acclamation.
Resolutions were also passed to the effect that a
petition to Parliament, based upon the first resolu-
tion, should be presented, and that the meeting
record its earnest thanks to the champions of the
cause of the people—William Ewart Gladstone,
John Bright, and John Stuart Mill--with others,
in and out of Parliament, who supported them in
their efforts on behalf of their toiling fellow-country-
men, and who vindicated the character of the
working men from the most infamous slanders.
All the resolutions were agreed to.

The other speakers were Mr. Jones, Mr. Baxter
Langley, Colonel Dickson, Mr. Payne, and Mr.
Davis. _ _

A vote of thanks to the chairman concluded the
proceedings.

State of Trade.
---.--

NOTTINGHAM, Dec. 19.—1 n the hosiery trade general
business is firmer ; the home market is looking up, and in
the foreign department several shippers are here with or-
ders to a fair extent. Yarns have still an upward ten-
dency; some houses have advanced ls. per bundle, but the
rise is not yet general. The Pall-Mall Gazette, in an article
ou foreign competition, remarks :—" In cotton hosiery it
is well known that Germany and the Alsacian provinces
of France have long been in the habit of supplying English
haberdashers with the commoner and coarser fabrics at a
rate with which Nottingham and Leicester cannot compete;
and we aro assured that they are now beginning to rival
and to surpass us even in the finer articles." There is a
good deal of truth in the observation, although our manu-
facturers will not admit the superiority of the foreigners
in the finer articles; but the statement may not be -with-
out its effect in the present complicated relations between
employers and workmen. The lace trade is just in that
condition that any change must be for the better. The
dulness may be partly attributable to stock-taking, which
chocks activity in business; but the trade is no doubt in a
very depressed state.

THE AUSTRIAN ARMY.—It is expected that in
Austria shortly military service will be made compulsory
for all, with the exception of such of the clergy as shall
have been ordained and only sons who have to support
their parents. Liability to service will last from the ago of
17 to 45 ; the first three years in the Landsturm for home
service, the next three years in the regular army, then
three years on furlough, three years in the first reserve, and
three years in the second reserve. From the age of 32 to
45 the men will kelong to the Landaturp, oT tnilititt.