The Sun.
London, England, 1844-11-27 00:00:00

Tilt COUNCIL CHAMBER OF THE
LEAGUE.
TO THE EDITOR OF TILE SCA'.
'13,--1 have recently spe,-A a few days in Man-
chester, havirq,; visited that to-An partly on business,
and pertl e that. I might see anything :hat was worth
!"ing• it. During this visit I nave. been greatly
interested with many things pointed out to me, and
particularly with the wonderful manufactories, and
with tbe skill and energy with which they are carried
°ll- But, however strange it may seem, I have ar-
rived at the conclusion, that the most remarkable
sight in Alanchester is to be found in the offices of
the great free trade association, or as it is more corn-
tnonly called, the Anti-Corn-law League.
The gentleman at whose house I was staying is a
member of that Association, and pretty regularly
attends the meetings of the Council, and knowing
that from a recent thorough examination of the ques-
tion of tree trade, I had become a convert to its doc-
trii-4,1,
he introduced me to some of its prominent
Illembers, and I spent some portion of almost every
-(1.14tY in their society, at the Council room of the
I need not describe the offices of the League fur-
ther than to say, that they are situate in Market-
strevt,
of within 100 yards of the Exchaege, and consist
z extensive and commodious apartments, fitted up
'All a manner suitable to the importance of the work
for which they are engaged. That which struck me
as
, most notable about the whole place, is the regu-
larity and frequency of the meetings f the Council,
4,11(1 the efficient and business like manner in which
its affairs are transacted.
thThe first time I went with my friend and host to
e League i 6 offices, was on a 'Monday- morning ;it
wag a little after ten o'clock. Mr. Wilson, the Chair-
-111, an of the Council had already taken the chair. The
ieeretary of the League, Mr. Hickin, was upon his
:I' hand, and on each side of the long table sat seve-
-44 gPntlemen, who were members of the Council. I
,-Tas introduced to most of them. Mr. Cobden was
there ; Mr. Woolley and Mr. Lees, both of whom are
,
anufacturers; Mr. Rawson, a gentleman formerly
frthe Nottingham trade, but now I believe retired
tic`tn,b.usiness, and who is treasurer of the League;
thr • lilekham, who is a calico-printer; Mr. Prentice,
° Proprietor and editor of the Manchester Times, a
paper which has long laboured zealously in the cause;
a", Mr. John Brooks, also an extensive calico-printer
th.`i merchant, and one or two others whose names at
is moment I don't remember. On the desk be-
agentshe chairman were a number of letters from
and friends of the League in various
Pert! of the kingdom, which were read aloud
t°,.,. me Council, and the needful replies were
t,477-te)eed upon and noted down by the secretary,
lett attended to during the day. Many of these
tine ers had reference to the progress of the registra-
eu, different boroughs, and some requested a
torilslof free-trade tracts ; others applied for lecturers
for sent into certain districts, or contained reports
rtieetr progress from lecturers who were holding
ke,;ngs in distant parts of the country. Of the last-
/41;1°4dii , one I remember was from Wiltshire, and
4lecti
the Council of the particulars of some
assupng‘ recently held in that county. I need not
CP .e
You that I felt deeply interested in these pro-
to ,„'ngs, and that I gladly acccepted an invitation
pig "Ine again the folloaing day. Tuesday is the
ttnneipal market-day in Manchester, and is also an
tit
day at the offices of the League. At ten
e
rif tl , Mr. Nilson was again in his place, and most
'e gentlemen I have before named were there.
kaw some who were not present on the Monday,
(;sing whom were Mr. liazle,y, of the firm of
laliitdner and Bazley, through whose fine spinning
who ',was politely -shown ; and Mr. J. B. Smith,
I was informed, contested the borough of
alsall in the year 1841, and is represented to be a
gentleman of great experience in all matters of trade,
ofd„ in
questions of political economy. The letters
teethe day were again read, and the replies dictated to
fr secretary. During the morning, many gentlemen
tecirn the neighbouring towns called in and united in
Henry proceedings. Several were pointed out tome :—Mr.
Is 4 Ashworth, from Bolton ; Mr. Whitehead, from
leawtenetall ; Mr. Bright, M.P., from Rochdale ; Mr.
01)ert Munn, from Ba.cup ; Mr. Whittaker, from
and oseveral others, came in and stayed for
—e time. After the regular business was trans-
f,4„—eBll,
ted, there was a good deal of conversation
various matters connected with the progress
on the free-trade cause, but turning chiefly
pi the recent registration results, and the
to "perceiv I
eedings for attending to it in future. It is easy
e The
important such meetings as this must
become. gentlemenwho called in were in some
presentati
degree re
vea from the towns from which
they
came,
and reports of what was doing in the dif-
ferent •
localities would doubtless stimulate each other
to continued exertions
tbt!,,learned that, besides the daily morning meeting of
till .k:ouncil, which began at ten and generally lasted
ail eve past eleven or twelve o'clock, there was also
fur ,lening meeting at five o'clock, which was often
discussion and arrangement of some points left
whi[_,,tor further consideration from the morning, and
woad Partook also of a social character. On this
tep, (14aY evening the meeting was to receive further •
°I thr`a On the registration for the southern division
county of Lancaster. Tea was served in the
Q--tleil-rnom. The most active members of the
pee-„t,neil were present, and many whose engagements
of teemed their regular attendance in the early part
and th "ay. The London morning papers were in,
dnri Air contents formed the subject of conversation
laeen tea. The abuse of the Herald, or some fal-
tio;'i of the Post, afforded amusement, whilst satisfac.
layinwas expressed that the independent press was
Aheng bare the sufferings of the agricultural labourers.
and et six o'clock the chairman resumed his place,
tistret.sinesi commenced. The result of the late re-
the 14'0 in South Lancashire, I had learned from
fre,,.'tnnlie papers, had been greatly in favour of the
socgri- dera, and this meeting was to take steps for
Frirla K the position they had gained. Tuesday and
WiisoY evenings were set apart for this.purpose. Mr.
vineri briefly stated what had been done at the pre-
Since rtiilgs, and requested 'reports of their progress
ha eth last met. - One gentleman stated that he
tient names of five persons to give in for qualifies,-
els° 'r South Lancashire, three of whom would
the •%InalifY for North Cheshire, and two for
in tkest Riding of Yorkshire. Another handed
aue names of five Young men employed
anxious large wholesale warehouse, who were
other to
.qualify for South Lancashire. An-
and thrive in the names of himself, his brother,
hUieher" of his sons, for South Lancashire. A large
by t, of names were thus handed in, and entered
the •"a 'ecreta •
- addr rY in a book kept for the purpose, with
.oright ess and occupation of the parties. Mr.
Vies d(7laspresent at this meeting, and reported what
Nth in Rochdale, from which it appeared that
hopes of ,
.0 qualify for the county, that they had
Inajuret making a large increase to their present large
report °ll the register. One striking part of his
tinny
of
t,kthat many of the best paid and most intel-
,Tns to ohn working-men were making great exer-
Zoasieg. freehold
a county qualification, and were pur-
Vn°ld cottages with such funds as theyl
tain qu.:1111 many were saving, with a view to
latlleeting the: 'cations. Mr. Cobden informed the
rcady been a deputation from the Council had
2.li4ety,r
also in the West Riding, to have interviews
Ir^:rteotautey tfraders, to confer with them on the im-
eXufketurei?, enlisting the suffrages of the merchants,
voliti shopkeepers, and working men in the
'oil int.,mnet now be resolutely carried on
whose „o,:"tlated monopolist proprietors of the
brigwg ruin urpo"eY, if not counteracted, would shortly
themselves and the country. If it
oteliree, ileeessar n
tend a fily, come to that, they must have an-
ate.
jeotriparloiptirtieerteoasrtsstruggle between the towns and the •
vver Portably whose legislation every truly
der
nt this meetin had suffered so deeply.
truinthe Council-room was most un- ,
g
t_ e manifested
sded, and a spirit and determination
4,.'9eed, what has such
as I have rarely seen. And,
Shire is
most
im already been done in South Lanca-
portant and decisive, and would seem
be have (Veiled
airly e. a Way by which the monopolists can
litfor °raPPled with.
often
heard
"ming to Manchester I had, of course,
tion, eard of the League, and I had read some par-
lett,:ears of its mansdgements and organisation in a
the -,°nce Publishe
Jecn of in the Morning Chronicle, from
titian a stranger who had visited its head-
-10.11.?_11 surprised me.
ers but what have seen has nevertheless very
The
members of the Council,
was names have . been mentioned, attend, I
shn told, ahnost
i_ fling fo_
s.x nvar.iably every day. Every
at his rdays the week Mr. Wilson
constant Post, and several other members are his
dercompanions in his labours, and no one. is
tlene.e regular in his atteance than Mr. Cobden
en""ng the Parliametnnteaerdnrecess, except when he is
anlaged in holding
etshrotughout the country ;
tweleAlr' Bright, who resides miles distant, is generallya present three times
Rochdale, ten or
let7.eek. Like other persons living et a distance from
C,anehester, I had heard of few of the Manchester
141.1410, excepting
as Chairman, and
at a
,Fsohden and Mr. Br.i Ihtl,lsownho had both spoken g, at which I present, in the town in
that reside, but I found out whilst in Manchester
if. ther-
e were others, and not a few, whose services,
Vitant to sustain thethe
1\1(4 so much before public, are to the full as iin-
wthht,.t)k.,l_low.!_labour position of the League as the
of those gentlemen. And it is
ie,,"7 distinguishing feature of this movement, and
elevates. it in my view above almost ever
' Lnat the eclat of public meetings and publicy
anee -
are Is en not needed US a stimulus to those who
PUlei gaged in it. The men whose names ee e never hear of, and who are stra'ngteirs
ell to
tiew4 . the most assiduous readers of the
and tesPaciPeevrao,,_a,re at least as untiring in their labours
wet to the cause as those to whom its ser-