The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-08 00:00:00

MEETING

&T COVENT•GARDEN THEATRE.

The last meeting of the Anti-Corn-law League for
the season took place last evening at Covent-Garden
Theatre. The meeting was advertised to commence
at half-past seven o'clock. The doors were opened
at seven, and within ten minutes afterwards every
part of the theatre was crowded to excess. There
has not been any meeting of the League in this
theatre so numerously attended as the meeting of last
evening, since the memorable occasion when Mr.
O'Connell attended, immediately after the conclusion
of the State trials in Ireland. A great number of
ladies were present in the boxes. At half-past seven
o'clock G. Wilson, Esq., Chairman of the League,
took the chair, amidst loud cheering. He was
accompanied into the theatre by R. Cobden, Esq.,
M.P., T. Milner Gibson, Esq., M.?., W. J. Fox, Esq.,
James Wilson, Esq. (of London), and several other
leading members of the League. These gentlemen
were all loudly cheered. Among those -present we
observed—George Wilson, Esq., in the Chair ; Richard
Cobden, Esq., M.P. ; Hon. C. P. Villiers, M.P.;
Thomas Milner Gibson, Esq., M.P.; Benjamin Smith,
Esq., M.P. ; Arthur Pattison, Esq. ; W. J. Fox,
Esq. ; R. G. Welford, Esq.; Colonel Tucker ; Rev.
Dr. Louis ; Rev. Robert Philip. Messrs. W. A.
Wilkinson, P. A. Taylor, G. Poulter, S. Harrison,
Fearon, J. P. Burnard, John Bickers, John Walker,
11. Leavors, J. Faulkner, James Henry Lewis, T.
B. Farren, Jarvis, J. P. Williams (Manchester),
Myles, Luke Elcoate, B. W. Cheshire, Owen (Man-
chester), Rogers (Margaretting, Essex), Press
Granger, H. T. Stainton, A. Fordati, Joseph Lindley,
W. P. Knox, Joseph Ralph, James Phillips, J. C.
Worthington, H. Ashton, J. S. Thompson, T. B.
Warren (Bristol), J. Ridge, Delmire, Whitehead,
Blunt, F. Oliver (Cambridge), Dr. Sewell, W.
J. Adams, R. Bell (Leeds), W. C. Jay, H. Hogard,
C. W. Cobby, James Wilson, John Blakeway, Ri-
chard Ware Cole, Thomas Leslie, J. H. Const, Ben-
jamin Thorne, Robert Davison, Jones (Northampton),
William Cooke, Joseph Lambert (Leeds), Henry
Pritchard, J. Chalmers, James Butterworth (Roch-
, dale), Thomas Chadwicke, John Poulton, Richard
Trass, Edward Harman, J. P. Delafous, W. Geesin,
J. Kingsford, Thomas Lattimore (Wheathampstead),
John M`Cartney (Manchester), James Crofts, Henry
R. Claypole (Liverpool), Henry L. Keeling, Robert
V. Smith, David Price, Thomas Tebbutt, Joseph
Phelps. Capt. Whitehead (Nassau), Rev. A. M.
Walker, N. Overbury (Westbury, Wilts), William
May, Esq., (Mayor of Ipswich).
The SECRETARY having read the minutes of the
last meeting, which was held on the 4th of July, it
was moved by Mr. James Wilson, seconded by Mr.
Arthur Pattison, and carried unanimously, that the
minutes be confirmed.
The CHAIRMAN then came forward to address the
meeting, and was greeted with loud and long-con-
tinued cheering. When the applause had subsided
he spoke as follows :—Ladies and Gentlemen,—After
an interval of five weeks we are again assembled here
to resume, for one night more this season, the business
proceedings of the League. It becomes my duty to
state to you what are the operations in which the
Council of the League have been engaged since we
last met, in order that you and the public—at least
that portion of the public which takes an interest in
an alteration of the corn-laws—may be enabled to
judge how far those operations are likely to contri-
bute to the settlement of the question which it is our
duty here to dispose of.—(Hear, hear.) I do this
with a greater pleasure, because many persons are apt
to believe that when the proceedings of the League
appear to be less prominently noticed, or, rather I
should say, when they occupy less space than usual
in the public journals, that there is a corresponding di-
minution of effort on the part of the League—that the
League is, in fact, suspending its labours. Such an
idea, however, would be most erroneous.—(Cheers.)
Our first business is not so much now to educate and
instruct the people, as to act upon the electoral body
generally.—(Cheers.) As was stated by Mr. Villiers
at our last meeting, this important question has made
great progress in the House of Commons, but still
the House of Commons, as at present constituted,
presents no reflection of the public mind on this
question at this period. It therefore devolves upon
us, as our bounden duty, so to stimulate the elec.•
toral body, that when they are next called upon to
act, they may do it after due and timely prepara-
tion.—(Cheers.) The League, therefore, proceeded
like men of business, to consider the best mode of
carefully attending to the borough registration
throughout the kingdom.—(Cheers.) They selected
140 boroughs, in which they thought there was a
reasonable expectation that an impression might
be made. They selected as agents to go
those boroughs men acquainted with the subject of re-
gistration in all its parts—men thoroughly qualified
to undertake the business, and who would transact
that business in as workmanlike a manner as any
men.—(Cheers.) The Council sent these men down
to the boroughs ; they visited them ; instituted inqui-
ries, and reported the results of those inquiries to the
Council. In some instances, they found that the
registration had been totally neglected. In many,
that it had been only partially attended to, and in others
that it was entirely in the hands of legal agents—
that is to say, that the boroughs were completely in
the power of the bribers. In a few instances only
had it been found that the subject had been properly
attended to. These agents immediately set about to
remedy these defects ; they formed committees in
places where none had hitherto been formed,
and had exacted pledges from the free
traders of the different boroughs, that the
subject would be attended to. Now, although this
is a work of very great importance—a work which
cannot be brought to perfection in a single day—l
believe that the first great impulse has now been given
to put in array that constituent body in whose hands
is the destiny of the country, and who alone can de-
termine the fate of this and of all other monopolies.
When, therefore, you hear it asked what the League
have been doing, you can say that the Council will be
occupied, at least until after the revision courts, in
devoting their whole attention to the question of re-
gistration in all its branches and in all its parts.—
(Cheers.) I do not purpose to enter into details on
this subject at the present moment ; but I will simply
state that, in the City of London a registration asso-
ciation has been organised, and the success which
has attended their efforts is such as will effectually
provide, even now, against the return of any mono-
polist to Parliament for that city. In South Lan-
cashire, also, a registration association has been
organised, the results of which have been equally
satisfactory ; and I firmly believe that, do what they
will in the shape of objection, I believe that that
county is effectually wrested from the hands of the
monopolists, and that, with ordinary attention on the
part of the free traders, no monopolist candidate can
ever be returned for that division of the county.—
(Cheers.) But although the subject of registration
has occupied the greater part of the attention of the
Council, it is by no means to be understood that we
intend to relax in our attention to the holding of public
meetings at the proper time for holding them. Since
our last meeting in this theatre, meetings have been
held at Gravesend, attended by Mr. Bright ; at
Preston, attended by Mr. Thompson and Mr. Moore;
at Salisbury, attended by Mr. Moore and Mr. Thomp-
son ; at York, attended by Mr. Moore, Mr. Thomp-
son, and Mr. Falvy ; at Newcastle, at Carlisle, and,
though last not least, a meeting had been held at
Northampton on Monday last.—(Loud cheers.)
Now it has often been brought for ward as
a matter of complaint against the League
that we do not throw open the doors of
of this theatre, or of the Free-trade Hall in Alanches-
ter, to the opponents of our principles. Our answer
is, simply, that we have never yet been able to find
accommodation sufficient for our own members at
these our meetings, and when we have accommo
dated all our own members, and have room enough
to spare, it will be quite time enough to decide who
else shall be admitted.—(Cheers.) But let it not,
therefore, be supposed that the League have sought
to shun discussion. Last year, Dlr. Cobden held
thirty meetings in the open air, which were open to
all the world, and at which the opponents of the
League might have met him had they chosen.—
(Cheers.) On Monday last a similar meeting was
held at Northampton. That meeting had been con-
vened by requisition. Twelve hundred freeholders
had signed a requisition to Mr. Cobden and
Mr. Bright, calling upon them to come and address
the freeholders in the open air at Northampton.
A requisition had also been sent to Mr. Stafford
O'Brien, the Member for that division of the county,
by the freeholders who had supported him at the last
election, requesting him to meet Mr. Cobden and
Mr. Bright on that day, in order to discuss the
question at issue. Another requisition had been pre-
sented to Mr. Feargus O'Connor—(Hisses and faint
cheering)—signed by 1,250 freeholders, asking him
to attend also on that occasion. Now there was
here no mystery—nothing like packing a meeting.
It was an open meeting, known to all the world, held
in the open air, with proper notice, and consequently
afforded the best possible opportunity of ascertaining
the public opinion of the county of Northampton.
Well, the meeting was held, Mr. Stafford O'Brien
declined to attend.—(lronical cheers and laughter.)
Mr. Feargus O'Connor attended, and the sup-
porters of Mr. Stafford O'Brien supported Mr.
Feargus O'Connor in the views which he took
on the subject. Now the issue was taken in North-
ampton, the least favourable district for the discus-
sion of such a subject, because it is well known that
in Northamptonshire the extreme suffrage principle
has obtained a support perhaps beyond what it has ob-
tained in any other town in the kingdom. Mr. Cob-

den, however, carried his resolution by a considerable
majority—(Cheers)—and this fact was testified by
the chairman----a man of great influence in that part
of the country, but one in whom the Chartists placed
unlimited confidence.—(Cheers.) So much for the
the charge of packing. But while we are thus mak-
ing progress, I regret to allude to the losses which we
have experienced among our supporters since last we
met. We have lost Mr. Scholefield, the Member for
Birmingham, and Mr. Travers, the excellent chair-
man of Mr. Pattison's Committee at the last election
for London. I am sure that the loss of those two
most consistent supporters of our principles will
leave a void which it will be difficult to fill. N°
men were ever more beloved in private life, or by their
virtues more secured the esteem and friendship of
all who had the pleasure of their acquaintance.
(Cheers.) But these men possessed talents beyond
ordinary men ; for, while they conducted great cow
mercial operations, they at the same time felt the
strongest interest in the well-being of every other
class of the community, and did their duty by. those
other classes—(Hear, hear)—and the best wish be
could offer to Birmingham and London was, that 11
double portion of their spirit might rest upon each
one of their remaining citizens, and that when they
died their memory might be respected by as 1111;
merous a body as that by which the memory 01
Mr. Scholefield and Mr. Travers was now respected.
This, then, is the 24th, and last meeting of the
League, and I venture to say that the League is very
differently estimated now, compared with what it ws.'
when we held our first meeting in Drury-lane.."'
Where is the man now who would charge us wit!:
being abettors of assassination ?—(Cheers.) An
yet the Prime Minister and others scrupled not to
say as much.—(Hear.) Where is the man now
who would dare say so, or where are the organs c,
public opinion who would say so; and, above all,
where are the persons to be found who would believe
either him or them if they so charged us ?—(Hear'
hear.) It is true we were threatened with opposit°
by the Society for the Protection of Agriculture'
`There is this body now ?—(Cheers.) Had they
accomplished all those things for which they were
established ? Had they increased the wages of the
labourer, or made him satisfied with Bs. a-week ?
The incendiary fires of Suffolk show that they are
not satisfied.— -(Hear, hear.) And if this Society,
possess the power they profess to have, never had 01
body a finer opportunity of exhibiting themselves
advantage than those fires presented to them. nut
they could not check incendiarism there, for they
had no hold on the affections of the working classes'
.—(Hear, hear.) They knew that whatever wort;
gages and marriage settlements might be paid out of
the proceeds of the corn-laws, they themselves could
expect nothing but abject penury and want, anal!
was on that account that this Society had not made
way in those districts in which it might reasonably be
N
expected they would have influence.—(Hear, hear'/
It will require greater strength than that of the
Protection Society to put down the League. We gf,
on from day to day, and from year to year, gathering
strength, sometimes from victory, and sometime
even from defeat; and we are proceeding now steadily
to that great point which would be victory itself'
(Hear, hear, and cheers.) This question has obtained
a greater progress than any other question ever bad,
and we must ultimately be successful.—(Loud ekeers';
Mr. Gibson will address you this evening.--(Cheers:)
I regret to say that Mr. George Thompson igiitin
Scotland, but his place will be supplied by dale,
Cobden—(Loud cheers)—and the proceedings W'
be closed by Mr. Fox.—(Cheers.)
Mr. T. M. GIBSON, M.P., then came forward, 0!
was received with loud cheers. He said it had bee;
his good fortune to have been present at wan.;
meetings of the Anti-Corn-law League, but neve,
had he witnessed a more splendid assemblage tit;
was gathered within these walls this evening, and 11
said it was justly to be deemed matter for congrats
lation that their farewell meeting for the season h
received such a signal mark of public approbatio
It was impossible to conceive that a cause was retrr,
grading—that a question could be less grounded is
the public mind, when they saw such a vast assenet
blage as that which was now gathered within thsbo
theatre. There were many who would lead thew
suppose that, because public meetings were not
frequent, and because there had not appeared
many speeches of late in the provincial and metrop;
litan papers, that therefore the cause of free tri! a
was not occupying that place in the public inl°s,
which it once did. There never was a greater 113'st
take than that. It frequently happened that tO
work was the most telling which was the most quiled
and from the description which they had just hearoco
the proceedings now being carried on by the Coll;
of the League, it struck him that they were tabl.„ f;.
that course which must ultimately lead to victory...,
(Hear, hear.) He was not one of those who felt ye...,"
confident in their present electoral institutions. ~t
(Hear, hear.) He was aware that they could oe",
hope for'
those full and generous effects which tbtille
might have from a more liberal representation of, 'd
people ; but this he did believe, that the great u° ti
of the electoral class in the country were intelligea.t;
and that when they were once awakened to the !nerd
of any question, they would use the power they 11.0
of returning a majority to the House of Conind,
opposed to monopoly; and he trusted in God they sc°lldol
at the next general election, throw aside all Par ~
interests, and seek to promote the happiness, vir'ed
and moral and physical welfare of the people, "to
return a majority to the House of Commons, 11°"01)
support any particular set of parti.ans—(Hear,
—any particular set of men, whether ins or °ll,ot
who might be looking for the sweets of office' at
to support the great principle of free trade, an,cl„ir
principle alone.—(Cheers.) Their excellent Chet
man had alluded to the efforts of the Anti. Corn
League, and he intimated the want of success on :f
part of the Protection society, and that august b. 6,1:
the Central Society fur the Protection of 1310
Agriculture.—(Laughter.) Now, it did hapeea, be
there were some salient points which inigh'iles,
quoted in proof of the little success of those boTeit.
It might be shown to demonstration that °oh
progress had been backwards, if there was any tripe
in vulgar arithmetic, for in 1839, when not hal get
effort was made by the Protection Society Wb;eo
petitions sent to Parliament that had 011'
made last year, the number of signatures ber
tamed was 318,000. What was the nlbif
of signatures obtained during the present year ? iv,„3
after all the great assemblages of distinguishe,ubeo
titled monopolists, only 287,000 signatures ha a
log
obtained; 4,000 petitions, with an average 1105
of seventy-four signatures to each petition,_ 000,
they could get.—(Cheers.) The number of petirt of
showed that there was no want of zeal on the Ptares
the Protection Society, but the number of signs
showed that there was a deficiency of zeal on til;:he
of the agriculturists themselves, for it was fr°•4lll
agricultural districts that the petitions princirol
came. It might be said that the Anti-Corn-01
League had not petitioned. That was true, theftbef
not petitioned for this very good reason, benausAleg'
found it was a useless and vain attempt .—'k atle'
hear.) It was thought that the efforts of the ge I
men connected with the League might be bet thl
rected. It was, therefore, given up, but wbe'obs',
free-trade party had petitioned the Legislature. the
was the result ? They began to petition 10 OP
year 1839, and they sent in petitions le,
500,000 signatures. They left off petitionitere./
year, with 1,700,000 signatures.—(Loud cPS
This showed a constant increase of signet° let
their part, whilst the petitions of the Central S:cbtei
for the Protection of British Agriculture.--410° Let
—showed a constant diminution of signatures'ajor_ej
them get rope enough ! He would say n°lool‘76
But he thought that any impartial man who
around him and asked himself what were the
josPil
of society—what were the cravings which
fested themselves, not only throughout thepoteh
dominions, but throughout the greater part do on,
would find that they were intimately connec oat
physical want.—(Hear.) He would find that.ii thee
of the great wants of society could be met !la of ti)f
had first ameliorated the physical conditleattleir
great body of the people.—(Hear.) They of tb
desires to educate the people; of complaintsio e0(0
ignorance; of their want of moral training ejuota
youth, but what was the use of attempting tit JO7O
and sow the seeds of virtue among a people ~,norf.:ol
by deep distress, living in a state of hopeless) of
people in such a state were not in a nachersocl
to receive either the admonitions of the Pr` peeii,
the teaching of the moralist.—(Hear, hear.) and few
upon it, if they wished virtue, knowledgef„poro.
gion should take root amongst the labourr:00104.01
tion, they must ameliorate their physicaL_„ficultfoi
They must first endeavour to raise the Mil be!, 0
labourer from the hopeless condition in vin'ireio
seemel to be placed. They would look !lin here , tip
diminution of crime unless that conditto_ot
tered. The labouring population could 120eiety.7. he
to those who held a higher position in sod r not
any feeling of affection, seeing they arr,and y 0!
cast by or thrown aside as useless ben'the far
at
treated as well as the brute creatures fed.uue papeqoo,
of the aristocracy. When they read in Youtlailnritter
fine shows of agricultural produce the go,'
and other places ; when thev read
__L'A when they
and pageantry at those meetings ; eaten; the
heard of oxen too fat to walk or to be gesi of ,cto
must not suppose that this was eintbhieertipoi"o4r district
condition of the poor labourer in been btr beoto
from which these fat animals br_o, the fb„beell')
They must turn their thoughtstro (Loud
11004
to the lean and neglected peasants'all the glut
They must carry their minds from a threat oiled
pageantry to the incendiary ns , deep a,nbodi
letters, and to all those symptoms
the grell:i fen
discontent which now prevailed
the agricultural population.
tringgiltuthreeoilrifyllsoefo7
days since, to mention these e antbirpert._l,
Commons, and he quoted _ Ingl:nd '04(10014"
clergyman of the Church of b
his posit ion that the agriculturallabourer Was

for they
g clas,ee•
2r rnort,
aid out et
yes could
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not made
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We go
Tathering
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itself.
5 obtain
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(Cheers:)
son kin
by P.fii
ings