The Sun.
London, England, 1845-12-24 00:00:00

corn-laws by a repeal of the malt and hop taxes, an
assignment of county rates to the consolidated fund,
and a snore just and equal distribution of the poor-
rates between the agriculoststs who produce and
mature the labouring pooat'lnd the manufacturers
who kill them and conitrt them into helpless
paupers ; a change that ought to be made without
any reference to a change in the corn-laws."—(oh, oh,
and laughter.) On the 26th instant there appeared an
other paragraph, which, after speaking of the effects of
a repeal of the corn-laws on manufacturing industry,
says:--" This would:of course stimulate the manufactur-
ing system, but we are not afraid or ashamed to avow
that we would regard any important increase of the pre-
sent manufacturing system with serious suspicion and
alarm, and cannot believe that any good man would wish
to see such a system aggravated. It is a system full of
danger to the State. We are aware of its vital impor-
tance as a creator of wealth, but we also know how very
easily such a system is thrown into disturbance ; how
very much our manufacturing population is already out
of all proportion to the population and extent of the en-
tire country. Neither can we leave out of the account
those moral and religious considerations which do indeed
present an awful and tremendous idea to the mind of every
pious and honest man."—(Laughter followed the reading
of these extracts.) Now the pith of these two paragraphs
comes simply to this—that we are a very good sort
of people so long as we work, and get money and pay
the taxes, and buy the Duke of Richmond's dear corn,
and do that without grumbling, but the moment we
look up and say Justice shall be done to us by those laws
as well as to that class by whom those laws were made,
there is no term of reproach too bad, no slander too
foul, to be heaped upon the industrious and honourable
people of this country.—(Cheers, and "Hear, hear.")
The monopolists have pitied us all along, and oppressed
us; but the result of this day's subscription enables me
to promise that, at any rate, they will not oppress us
much longer.—(Hear, hear.) 250,000/. may be thought
a large sum, and, compared with former subscriptions, it
is, but no man in this room acquainted with trade but
knows that since the failure of the harvest and the
news of the impending famine in Ireland, many
times that sum has been lost to this district

in the operations of trade. The Hon. Gentleman then
gave an exemplification of this fact by stating that three
or four months ago a certain print sold at 6s. 6d
the piece, wheat then being at 465. the quarter, that is,
the manufacturer had to give seven such pieces to the
farmer for one quarter of wheat ; now wheat had risen
to 665. and the piece of print sold at ss. 6d., which
compelled the manufacturer to give 12, instead of 7,
pieces for the wheat which had risen in price.—(Hear,
hear.) Wages fell with the price of the manufacture,
and the artisan had to give 12, instead of as before 7,
days' work. The present depression in the district is
only to be removed either by an abolition of the corn-
laws or an extraordinary good harvest in 1846; but as
two or three bad harvests—as two or three good har-
vests generally came together, he could only pre-
dict that in the winter of 1846 they would be in a more
dreadful state than now (in 1845), and that they would
have in Ireland a repetition of all the appalling dis-
asters and miseries with which the people of that
country were unfortt.nately so familiar.—(Hear, hear.)
The Hon. Gentleman concluded by expressing his con-
viction, that no Minister, no Parliament could resist the
effects which such a meeting as that must have upon
the mind of the country.—(Cheers.)
Mr. J. HEYWOOD, who was announced as a subscriber
of 5001., said a few words condemnatory of the system
of the corn-laws, but indicating a desire that some con-
cession should be made in order to induce the agricul-
tural body to come to a fair and honourable compromise.
This suzgestion was received with universal disappro-
bation. The speaker could scarcely afterwards regain a
hearing, and
Mr. COBDEN at once declared he must adopt the lan-
guage used on another subject by Sir James Graham,
and say that " concession had already reached its ut-
most limits."—(Loud cheering.) They would come to
no terms and no compromise whatever.—(Cheers.)
Mr. BROTHERTON, M.P., next spoke. This was a
demonstration that would inspire hopes in the free
traders, and alarm amongst the monopolists. It would
show that they were not free traders merely in the abstract,
but in reality. Either the corn-laws were right or wrong.
If wrong, they ought to be repealed, and of this he felt
quite certain. The agriculturists said they paid all the
taxes, but when trade was bad the Exchequer began to
suffer.—(Hear.) They had strengthened the hands of
the Members of Parliament, and they would listen to no
compromise whatever.—(Loud cheers.)
The following additional subscriptions were then an-
nounced:— .E. s.
R. and J. Kercher, Ashton .. 150 0
S. Lee, Ashton ... 100 0
Mr. Burton, Ashton... ... ... 100 0
J. Chorlton, kshton ••• .. 10 0
James Smith, Liverpool ... 25 0
Dr. Massie ..
Robert Hayward, Bolton ... 100 0
P. Martin, Bolton .. 100 0
H. Hollins, jun., Bolton .. .. 50 0
W. Betty ... 10 0
Schunick, Souchay, and Co. .. 500 0
A Friend from Bury • • - .. 50 0
• - -

The CHAIRMAN here said that the subscription ex-
ceeded his most sanguine expectations, but if they
could say that they had raised 60,0001, the days of mo-
nopoly would be numbered.
Mr. BRIGHT then addressed the meeting at some
length, observing that public meetings had convinced
the world that they were in earnest, and would confirm
the decision to which the now-forming Cabinet must
arrive. They must show the world that the trade of
the country would no longer work in fetters.
After an address from an American gentleman, whose
name we did not hear,
The CHAIRMAN read some other subscriptions, and
then stated that the Committee would meet in the even-
ing to receive subscriptions. The amount now sub-
scribed was