The Sun.
London, England, 1844-12-12 00:00:00

GREAT MEETING

OF TITS

.~ ~. ...

ANTI-COR -LAW
.
•
LEAGUE

_AT

COVENT-GARDEN THEATRE.

The first great metropolitan meeting of the mem-
bers of the Anti-Corn-law League for the present
season, took place at Covent-garden Theatre last
evening. The doors were opened atsix o'clock. The
rush was tremendous, and within ten minutes from
the time that the doors were opened, the house was
crowded in every part. Even the upper gallery was
full. The greater part of the private boxes were fully
occupied; the stage was crowded; and such was the
desire to obtain admittance, that a great number of
persons, including several ladies, were accommodated
in the orehestra portion of the house, which had
hitherto been appropriated exclusively to the use of
**porters. There were not., perhaps, so many ladies
resent as has been usual at these meetings, but the
slumber of gentlemen was much greater, and the
!meeting was characterised by a degree of earnestness
e.nd quiet enthusiasm, if one may be allowed the
phrase, which showed that all present were actuated
by a fixed determination to carry out the great prin-
ciple of free trade, in support of which they were
leagued together. From the general appearance of
the meeting we should say that there were more of
the enfranchised present at it than had been congre-
gated on any former similar occasion.
At a quarter-past seven o'clock, George Wilson
Esq., Chairman of the League, took the chair, amidst
the most enthusiastic cheers.
On his-entrance into the theatre he was accom-
panied by several of the most active members of the
League, 'who were loudly cheered as they made their
appearance.
Among those present we observed—George Wil-
eon, Esq., chairman, Hon. Charles Pelham 'Villiers,
M.P., Richard Cobden, M.P., John Bright, M.P.,
Dr. Cooke Taylor, Robert Clark, D. Dewar, 11. J.
Stainton, J. Baines, Brooksbank, Rev. J. Walker,
G. P. Fletcher, W. Wilson, W. Hickson, Fearon,
Alfred Novello, J. H. T. Lewis, Captain Cogan, A.
Bauer, G. Thompson, Major-General Briggs, John
A. Lyon,' S. Lucas, W. A.:Wilkinson, S. Harrison,
Joseph Ivimy, P. A. Taylor, Cowden Clark, Leavers,
--Harker, W. Ellis, J. P. Barnard, J. A. Petries, Rev.
Dr. Lewis, Colonel Tucker, Colonel T. P. Thompson,
W. Bourne, Isaac Sewell, Josiah Conder, Charles
Lattimer (Wheathampstead), Arthur Morse, J.
Chalmers, Ralph Ricardo, Richard Sharpe, John
Lowe, Thomas Ruston, W. Geesin, Joseph Phelps,
W. A. Brown, James Brotherton, J. llewer, E. Davy
(Crediton), John Fish, L. W. Ash, Charles Con-
stable, R. L. Tweedaie, R. R. R. Moore, W. Bower,
J. Poulter, John Jee (Northampton), J. Cooke, J.
Parry (Ilfracombe), John-Butterworth (Manchester),
Charles James Wilson, Henry Lloyd Morgan, James
Wilson, John Smith, Professor Key, W. Thorn-
borrow, &c.

The Chairman then came forward to address the
meeting, and was received with loud cheering and
waving of hats and handkerchiefs, which lasted fur
some minutes. The pit rose to welcome him. These
congratulations were repeatedly acknowledged by
Mr. Wilson. Silence was at length restored, and he
was about to commence hiS addre.Ss, when there was
a call fur " One cheer rime, and a gocd one." This
call having been most enthusiastically responded to,
The CHAIRMAN commenced his address as follows:
Ladies and Gentlemen,—,Had we Lot been perfectly
accustomed to see This theatre crowded—crammed to
suffocation, to use an ordinary phrase—at these
League meetings,'this immense meeting would have
excited same surprise in our minds, occurring, as it
does, at the present season of the year—a season which
is supposed to be the least favourable to political ex-
citement, and when the greater number of our friends
are generally *engaged in. different and more cheerful
avocations. But as it is, we look upon this vast
meeting as a sign of the great and the increasing
interest which is experienced by a large portion of
the inhabitants of this vast city in favour of the abo-
lition' of these restrictions in trade which we all
acknowledge, and in favour of the abrogation of those
laws which interfere with the 'sustenance of the
people. We have met together to-night to renew
our engagements with each other, to enter into fresh
bends with each other, —(llear, hear)—to spare no
exertion until we shall have obtained the total—not
the conditional—but the total—(Loud cheers)—l
repeat it, not the conditional,. but the total abrogation
of the corn-laws.—(Renewed cheering.) 'We have
aiet here to-night, having gathered experience from
the past. We have now served our apprenticeship
to the calling of agitation. We are determined to
overcome any obstacles which may oppose us, re-
joicing over those which are past, and having good
cause for rejoicing in the progress we have already
made, and is that we are likely to make.—(Cheers.)
We' are sow at the commencement of our seventh
campaign, and we visit you under different, and, I
think, more favourable circumstances, than have
attended any of our previous „Meetings. We
are here to-night, after having. • diffused in-
formation on the subject of -1. free trade
through every part of ,:the kingdom after
having sent missionaries to the- remotest corners of
the realm—and after having placed on the table of
pretty nearly every elector the fruits of the study of
the'greatest men of the day in relation to this subject
—(Cheers)—we have met here; five or six thousand
strong, a small number in comparison of that vast
organisation of which we are
,the representatives—
(Cheers)—the greatest organisation of capitalists,
middle-class men, and operatives which this country
has ever seen. When we la-it:Met you were told
that the League was goingt Jo -use a fashionable
phrase of the day, " for a time into retirement." You
were told, that if you lleatcLuilisnire of the League
for a time, you were to take,it—for granted that they
were hard at work in the- iegiitration courts. I
explained to you what Was Itaking place for the
purpose of purifying the representation—l stated
to you that we were , buiy, :in about 140
boroughs in England, with a ~view of forming
registration committees, where. do 'such committees
existed, and of rendering assistance and aid where
committees, already existing, for the purpose of ob-
taining fuller and more complete information as to
the state of the registration throughout the country
generally. Well, we have &Me this; we have formed
committees, and we have-assistant.committees, where
they have already been formed'on.belialf of the free
traders, for the purPose of revising the electoral lists ;
and, although we do not possess—the-entire of the re-
ports from the 140 boroughs so-v,iaited, owing in some
cases to an irregular transmission of the lists, and in
others to some of the claims haYing been sent back
for re-investigation, yet, so far as vre have received infor-
mation on which we can dependarid I propcse to give
you no information to-night on .Whieh you cannot
depend—so far as we have obtained information on
which we can depend, out of 10.8 of these boroughs,
in 98 or 100 we have obtained a.majority in the re-
visions.----(Loud cheers.) In 98 of 'these boroughs
there has been a gain in the revisional courts
of the free. traders---,(CheerS)—while: only in six or
seven, or at most eight, has there
.been a gain in fa-
vour of the monopolists, and in no Instance has there
been any.gain in their favour so far as-to affect the
seat of a free trader. We have been told again and
again that we could judge but little from any gain in
registration courts, and that gain or loss in the revi-
sion courts would not furnish sufficient 'data to form
any judgment as to what would be the state of the re-
gistrationat.the time of an election. To a certain
extent this -must be admitted. The registry is com-
riledhrthe overseer, and the revision: Court only
take-vengnisance of objections made on claims sent in
vn de. list as published by the overseer, but the regis-
tration courts:takes no cognisance of the vaAt charges
which 'are continually occurring in boroughs in con-
bc'tlutnice of deaths, removals, or the disfranchisement
or eilkanehisoment of borough electors, and no accu-
from the proceedings
theign courts of the%
.ic'(ges which take plat©
from these causes. 'We -ha e frequently heard it said
that a borough is at a dead, lock; that no change
in the
constituency could take place, or that, at any rate, if
a change did take place, it must be so trifling,
that it could never affect the seat. Now,