The Sun.
London, England, 1844-07-04 00:00:00

MEETING

4.T COVENT-GARDEN THEATRE.

The usual weekly meeting of the Anti-Corn law
League was held yesterday evening at Covent-garden
Theatre. The meeting was very numerous, and the
greatest order seemed to prevail. Amongst these
present we noticed the following :
George 'Wilson, Esq., in the Chair; Hon.
Charles Pelham Villiers, Esq., M.P., Richard Cobden,
Esq., M.P., John Bright, Esq., M.P., Benjamin
Smith, Esq., M.P. Major-General Robertson, Pro-
fessor Key, Colonel Tucker, Dr. Tucker, Messrs.W.
Bower, J. W. Griffin (Paisley), J. Howorth (Roch-
dale), J. Angas, Jacob Angas Summers Harford,
H. Stainforth (Hull), B. Metcalf (Liverpool), Thos.
Lattimore (Wheathampstead), Robert Hobbs, Chas.
Mackay, Joseph Ivirnoy, W. Geesin, -- Edwards,
li. Moore, Crawford Burkitt, Benjamin Thorne, S.
Lucas, W. A. Wilkinson, P. A. Taylor, J. Gadsby,
J. P. Burnard, Francis Stokes, Jarvis, Thomas
Clark, jun. (Birmingham), Press Granger, W. J•
Blake, -- Blow, Samuel Grafiley, A. Baner (Man-
chester), Richards Ware Cole, S. A. Smith, -
Crabbie (Leith), George Blanshard, H. L. Keeling,
J. T. Campart, G. F:Minton, Wilson, J. Chal-
mers, Charles W. Cobby, Patrick M‘Gregor, George
Beacon, J. Ridge.
George Wilson, Esq., took the chair at half-past
seven o'clock.

The minutes of the last meeting having been con-
firmed,
The CHAIRMAN came forward and was received
with loud cheers. He said he apprehended there
were few there who were not aware that the mono-
polists in the House of Commons, true to themselves
and their own interests, had again succeeded in es-
tablishing their peculiar claims to the gratitude and
admiration of their fellow-countrymen.—(Hear, hear,
and laughter.) On Wednesday last they had, by a
majority of 202, decided upon the maintenance and
continuance of the corn-laws. He knew not whether
any one present had expected a different result, but
he confessed, looking to the party who composed a
majority of the House, and knowing that they were
the men who a few years ago sat by whilst mono-
poly was doing its work, he had no expectation that
they would be found now giving their support to
those just principles which they sought to see estab-
lished. However, he rejoiced to see that they were not
so strong as. they formerly were, and that there was a
strong tide setting in in another direction.—(Hear,
hear.) Last year the monopolists voted 381, this
year they voted 330, having lost 51.—(Hear,. hear.)
But it !eight be asked " Where is the proof of your
progress in the House—this year you voted 126 and
last year you voted the same number ?" Here
was the proof it. In 1842, when Mr. Villiers
put the total and unconditional repeal prin-
ciples in issue in the House of Commons, but 92
voted m ith him on that occasion, and 395 voted
against him, the majority forming considerably more
than one-half the whole House. On the present
occasion, his minority was increased 34, and the
majority against him was reduced 65, leaving thew
shorn of the majority they had in 1842 by 100.--
(Hear, hear.) But, though the Members who voted
with Mr. Villiers on this occasion were the same in
amount with the number who voted with him last
year, they had 28 new votes in favour of the motion.
—(Hear, hear.) Besides 32 of those who supported
him in 1842 were absent, but their opinions were still
the same they were at that time.—(Hear.) Thus the
strength of his party was near 170.—(Hear, hear.)
And it ought to be understood that this was the same
House of Commons which was elected especially and
specifically to maintain the corn-laws.—(Hear, hear.)
There WAS no general election; and they had n°
means of operating on the House except by reason
and argument, yet within two years they found those.
who supported the motion had increased considerably,
and the majority of their opponents had been reduced
upwards of sixty-five.—(Hear, hear.) He would
ask any one to point out another question which had
made such progress, which was not a party question,
and not supported by the great leaders in the House.
—(Hear, hear.) Whatever the House of Commons
might have been in 1841, every one knew it was net
considerably behind public opinion.—(Hear, bear.)
How did he prove that ? Why, by asking them to
turn their eyes to their own city. One of the Mem'
bers for the City of London voted for the motion,
two voted against it, and the fourth ran away.
(Cheers and hisses.) Yet, was there any one there
bold enough to affirm that any of those, except Mr'
Pattison, had conveyed the opinion of the City Of
London ?—(Hear, hear, and vehement cheers.) Pi;
more than this, a majority of 'the constituencies 0`
eleven Members who voted against the motion re'
quested their representatives to support it.—(Hear'
hear.) Adding those eleven to the 170 who supported
him it would be found that his friends bad more than
doubled in the House of Commons.—(Hear, hear.)
Their majority was, however, still strong, but it was
a diminishing one.—(Hear, hear.) An attendance,.
of twelve months at the registry would be sufficient
to strip it away—(Hear, hear)—and there was
enough of energy and spirit on the part of the people
of this country to secure a victory when another elec'
tion occurred.—(Cheers.)
Mr. VILLIERS th9n came forward, and was received
with loud cheers. He said that the Chairman bad in;
formed them of what, no doubt, they were aware e;
before, that since the last meeting which took place
in that house for the purpose of considering the corn'
laws, he had been at that House where those lea's
were made, for the purpose of making his all:
nual inquiry from its authors upon what grounds
either of justice, wisdom, or humanity theio
could defend the existence of them, and t
ask them whether they had any fresh eqe,.,
rience, circumstances, or reason of any kind velnnt
they could allege as a set-off against the mass
misery, and mischief which annually sprang frnf,
those laws.—(Hear, hear.) He came before the
at the request of the Chairman, and, notwitbstancip
ing the contemptuous reference which had
made to those meetings by Sir R. Peel—(Groans)
out of respect to those who assembled there, to shn;
their sympathy with the sufferings of the peoples
order to convey to them his impression of tud
result of the recent discussion and division
the question of the corn-laws—(Loud cheers).
and he would say at once that he never had lest
reason to be discouraged on the subject in his life
that result—(Hear, hear)—for it had exceeded ,1
most sanguine expectations. The motion was brouto
forward under very adverse circumstances, and II
was not prepared for that impression being made.ech
the constituencies, and thereby on the members, wino,
had produced so arge a minority in behalf of them t.°
tion he proposed. But it might be collected from
organs of the monopolists in Parliament and in t.
press, that they considered the result of that discussloo e,
as most satisfactory to them and disastrous to the Lesguse
But about that, he had something to say. Tb°
who represented the friends of scarcity in the ilnuo
of Commons—(Cheers)—expressed their satisfaetloo
,
at the speech of the President of the Board of Trae
,j
They hailed that speech with joy and surprise, env
the peculiar value of it, was as they expressed it, ,e
its honesty.—(Laughter.) That seemed tonsl:it
taken them by surprise; but the honesty of it,
as they could collect was, that as far as he had pnvl.eg
and as long as he lived, he would stick by the :Ilan/he
scale. Now, it was curious to find that any of tot
party should have faith in any of the pr Peel
Ministry ; because, when Sir Robert re
solemnly promises that he will not abandon thej
some sarcastic friend gets up and says that henna
another corn-law in his pocket.—(Laughter.)
vg
on what grounds they had more faith in the r,
statesman Mr. Gladstone, he was at a loss to kn°o uvi(
for as far as he (Mr. Villiers) knew he was novr,)
that stuff of which martyrs were made..—(Laughted
Great consolation was derived from the division, 90
the organ of the monop bps
friends in the House of Peer
in the person of his Grace of Richmond, told r
friends the tenants at will that they might now re° o cof
their engagements, and expect the Act bgd
Parliament price, because the majority 0,
greatly increased against the repeal of the corn-la ,1'
and probably some persons would be found fb,,c'ct?
enough to follow his advice. What was the 11 for
Why, twenty-eight men, who never before voteul,
the total repeal had voted for it on this occasion 'ies
(Hear.) Then they had the organs of those luininlthel
in the press so satisfied with the result, that, Iher
did not occupy themselves with the question witied
this debate had been a failure or not, but they en'ifi•
into a rather curious inquiry; and the Morning to
rald— (A laugh)--engaged itself to the extent of by
columns as to what had killed the League, and, r)
it was that the people loved protection.—(Langli-ear
He was not able to understand exactly how theibey
rived at the conclusion they had come to, but toil
came to the conclusion that it was owing to Si:re s
Peel's measures, which were of so comprehenslioo.
character that they settled every ques',4s
—(Laughter.) They say that the agricultvtied,
might now be at rest, as the question was now set., to
Now, that seemed to him, if he might ventu'oet
differ from so venerable a personage, to be son'el fer
doubtful.--(Laughter.) What reason was ther-isli
supposing that the great agricultural questiol? sof
settled, or that the Government had done any op'
intended to do anything to settle it ? Those wh°ttieo'
ported the Government, said the question was sf, oticP
because the Minister had said that he would otec'
to the sliding scale, and that the principle of 1100
tion should be adhered to. Now, be maintaineoefe
was not enough for the Minister to declare. es t°
was another condition necessary to give assurooll9,
the agriculturists, and that was, that the !eel,/
would stick to him.—(Hear, hear, and e" ole
Unless they did so, his sticking to the sliding

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