The Sun.
London, England, 1845-11-15 00:00:00

FREE TRADE BANQUET.

MTN. ER AT BIRMINGHAM TO THE HON C. P.

VILLIERS, MP.

BIRMINGHAM, THURSDAY NIGHT.—This evening the long
announced public dinner to the Hon. C. P. Villiers, Member
for Wolverhampton, and the leader of the Anti-Corn-law
party, took place in the Town-hall, and was most numerously
and brilliantly attended. It is calculated that between 700
and 800 gentlemen of all shades of political opinion sat down
to dinner.

The chair was occupied by Mr. W. H. Smith, the newly-
elected Mayor of the borough, having on his right Mr.
Villiers, the guest of the evening, Mr. Scott, MT., Mr.
Bright, M.P., Mr. G. Fox, Colonel Thompson, Mr. Craw-
shay, Alderman James, Alderman Beale, Alderman Van
Wart, Mr. Clark, Mr. Beilby, Mr. Bolion, Mr. Blake,
of the firm of Bolton and Watt, of the Soho Work, ; and
on his left, Earl Ducie, Mr. Cobden, M.P. ; Mr. William
Brown, late candidate for the southern division of Lan-
cashire ; Mr. Thornely, M.P. ; the Low Bailiffof Birmingham ;
the Rev. Mr. Bache, Unitarian minister; Alderman P. H.
Muntz, Alderman Room, Alderman Weston, and Alderman
Scholefield, Mr. Lucas Chance, of the Sporlane Works, Mr.
Geach, and other gentlemen of influence and station residing
in the town and neighbourhood. Mr. Alderman Phillips,
the late Mayor, occupied the vice-chair. The principal
gallery was filled with a numerous assembly of ladies. The
arrangements throughout were most admirable, and reflected
great credit upon the managing committee.
After Nan Nobis, Domine had been sung by the profes-
sional gentlemen in the organ gallery,
The CIIMRMAI4 said, now he was about to commence the
discharge of the duties of the honourable situation in which
he was placed, he cold assure them most unaffectedly he
felt in the deepest degree the onerous character of those
duties. But he assured them that he would endeavour to
discharge them to the best of the abilities which he pos-
sessed, and the powers at his command. His first duty was
to congratulate them upon the highly honourable assem-
blage of guests congregated that day.--(Cheers.) His second
duty was to announce to the meeting the names of gentle-
men highly and equally honourable, who, but for circum-
stances not anticipated, would have been present on that
occasion. He would not read letters, but he might mention
that amongst other communications he had one from Lord
Radnor, who, on the score of old age, extremely regretted his
inability to attend. His Lordship, however, felt the deepest
interest in the meeting, not only on account of the compli-
ment intended to their honoured guest, but also because
he felt a deep interest in the success of the sacred cause
they were assembled to promote. He (the Chairman)
had also to regret the absence of not one only, but both of
the Members for the borough of Manchester, but he
was commissioned by his friend, Mr. Mark Philips, to say the
present was the wedding-day of his only brother—that was
his apology for absence. The same reason kept away Mr.
Robert H. Greig, who, as brother-in-law of Mr. Philips,
was detained by the same happy event. He (the Chairman)
had hoped for the attendance of one or both of their own
borough Members, but he was disappointed. He should
have been happy to see Mr. Muntz in the hall that evening;
he should have been happier still to have seen their friend
Mr. Spooner—(Laughter)—for differing, as many of them
did, from the political opinions of that Hon. Gentleman, they
all acknowledged his worth and respectability.—(Hear.)
lie was authorised to state that Mr. Mintz would have been
present, but it so happened that he had an engagement with
Prince Albert at Windsor that day; and their Hon. Mem-
ber also assured him that he would, upon every occasion
when the question was brought before the House
of Commons, vote for the repeal of the corn-laws.—(Loud
cheers.) He (the Chairman) had also hoped to have seen
that evening Mr. Ricardo, the Member for Stoke, and Mr.
M. Gibson, the Member for Manchester. Both gentlemen had
promised their attendance, and as trains were arriving hourly,
probably they might during the night have the pleasure of
their company. He begged it to be understood, that
this was not a political or party meeting, but strictly a
social one—( Hear)—intended as a compliment to the Hon.
Member who had conferred such invaluable assistance on the
cause of free trade.—(Cheers.) The Hon. Gentleman, after
calling upon the company to assist him in the maintenance
of order, and in a few words passing a high eulogium upon
her :Majesty. called upon the company to fill a bumper to the
health of The Queen."
The toast was drunk with great enthusiasm.
The healths of " Prince Albert," "The Prince of Wales,"
and " The Queen Dornager," succeeded, and were drunk with
the customary honours, as was the toast of" The Army and
Navy."
The CHAIRMAN said, he was about to propose to them the
health of their honoured guest, Mr. Villiers, who had done
them the honour of accepting their hospitality on that occa-
sion.—(Loud cheers.) In performing this part of his duty, he
was sure he would not for one moment insult Mr. Villiers, or
disgrace himself, by addressing to that gentleman undue flat-
tery and vain compliment. But it was due to the meeting that
be (the Chairman) should state why it was that they had in-
vited the lion. Gentleman to visit Birmingham that day. It
was simply this—because he was the advocate of public
principles in which they all concurred, and was a man whom
they all admired. But he might be asked what those prin-
ciples were? He would answer in two words— the principles
of commercial freedom—the rights of labour, the rights of
property, and, in connexion and dependence upon them, the
advancement of the happiness and welfare of the entire so-
cial race.—(Cheers.) The Hon. Gentleman, after some fur-
ther complimentary observations. concluded by proposing
• 'The health of the Hon. Charles Pelham Villiers, their distin-
guished guest."—(Loutl cheers, repeated three times three.)
Mr. Conner begged to act as fugleman. Let them give
three-times-three Birmingham cheers, such as should be
neard at Tamworth. The Hon. Member's suggestion was
adopted with hearty responses.
Mr. ViLLIERS said he was sure that the meeting would
readily believe that he could not rise without great em-
oarralernent duly to acknowledge the peculiar honour which
had been done him that evening. When he considered the
flattering circumstances under which he was their guest, and
the friendly manner in which they had received the
sentiment with which the Chairman had accompanied I
the propos'l of his health, he (Mr. Villiers) honestly
declared that he felt great difficulty in conveying adequately
to them his sense of the condescension and consideration with
which they had honoured him. He could hardly consider
himself entitled to se much condescension; there were men
at their board that evening who were possessed of more
talents than himself, and who, he was sure, had done more
service to the great cause fir the advancement of which they
were met there that evening than he had been able to do; in
fact, lie only diftfred from those men in having had a seat
in the House of Commons longer than they, but he believed
they would bear him out in saying that when they came
into the House of Commons they did not find that he
had been idle, but that he had been and was at the time
toiling on, as he bad been for a long time, with difficulties
greater than any which they had had to encounter. Since
be (Mr. Villiers) had been honoured with a seat in the
House of Commons by the favourable sense which was en-
tertained of hint by a great body of constituents in the
neighbourhood, he had endeavonred to do his duty—(hear)
—and he would say, that his apprehension of his duty was
never to prefer his individual interests, or the interests of a
class, to those of the public, and he had it not on his con.
science that in any one single instance had he preferred the
advantage of himself to what he considered his duty to the
public; and be could only say that if the course he had taken
in public life had met their approbation, and if that which he
had done in his efforts to support the cause which they
were met that evening to celebrate could be construed to
bea public service, their approbation of that course gave
him, they might rely upon it, the highest reward for what
he had done, and the highest encouragement to persevere
in the 'course that he had hitherto pursued.—(Hear,
bear.) They *knew how the House of Commons was
constituted and the feelings of that body on this matter,
and the way in which they were identified with this law,
and that those whose hostility to that law was dispalyed
there acted at the greatest disadvantage •; but he could an-
swer, he thought, for the distinguished men who were pre-
sent on this occasion; and he could answer for himself, that
the one consideration which had cheered them on more
than another had been, that sooner or later the intelli-
gent portion of the community would appreciate their
endeavours. He accepted this meeting as a sign of the
prowess of the cause, and a most gratifying verification
of what they had all along been expecting. If they
coincided with him and his friends around him on this
great question, it was meat important that they should not
underrate the importance of their declaring themselves
distinctly without loss of time. Why they who sat in that
House had had the most conclusive proofs that their
opponents, the supporters of the corn-laws, had found at
length that they were wrong, and they felt that, being
wrong, the evidence was pressed upon them by their
own. Ministers, and by the circumstances of the country,
which they could not dispute, that they could not any longer
maintain the corn-laws consistently with the interests of the
community. But one thing they did not know ; they seemed
ignorant Of the opinion of the people; they appeared to want
some sign of the opinions really entertained by the intelli-
gent portion of the public; they seemed to think that if the
people chose to keep silence the public therefore coincided
with them in opinion, or were undecided at least with re-
gard to the operation of the law. He did not believe that the
aristocracy of this country were better than any other men ;
but he thought them much like other men—(Hear, hear)
and that if any of them helped themselves to anything
which they had not a right to, but which they thought
worth keeping, why they were very loath to give up. They
were like other great bodies that the meeting knew of; they
would not move till the steam was up. It was not a gentle
force that would stir them. Sir James Graham had said
some time ago—and it was one or the things which he had
not unsaid since—that the aristocracy, if they opposed public
opinion, were totally without power. (Laughter, and
cheers.) That was undoubtedly true. What, then, was it
which stood between the advocates of corn-law repeal and
that result? He answered, the want of some clear, intel-
ligible, unmistakeable expression of opinion.—(Hear, hear.)
He thought it most gratifying to see this manifestation of
opinion in this great town—a manifestation which he looked
upon and accepted, not as made in favour of a person or a
party, but of a great principle.—(Loud cheers.) He believed
that if the commerce of this country continued restricted,
as it was at present, the people might as well be with-
out a great part of the liberty they possessed.—
(Heer.) They had acquired the power of thinking what
they pleased—of praying how they pleased —of saying what
they pleased—and the result had been, that the people
had become the greater. and the circumstances of the country
the better for it. The people, in consequence, have grown
mere intelligent, more peaceful, more enterprizing, more ac-
tive than any other nation, and it was precisely for that reason
that commercial restraint was such a fetter to them , fur
what was it to a man to be possessed of more intelligence
or %ore skill than his fellows if he were restrained from dis-
pos* of it to the best advantage—if the comforts of life
wereyond his reach? He asked if that was not the con-
diteW of millions of their fellow-countrymen ? He asked,
also, if destitution was not what all who heard him were ex-
pecting to fall upon those millions every hour? Then did
any man believe that Providence had brought about that re-
sult ? No. It was the result of human legislation,
it was the direct consequence of the law which they were that
evening filet to assail—a consequence which had been foreseen,
and of which the Govenment had been warned over and over
again. By the laws which they enacted, the Government drove
a large portion of their people to the most inferior kinds
of food, and then, if any of those visitations arrived which
might be expected to occur, they were reduced to des-
stitution. That was the consequence of making fcod difficult to
be obtained. It was passing laws for bringing about destitu-
tion. He said, that no man who bad been a party to such
legislation had any right to talk about the visitation of Pro-
vidence. He had lately seen that Lord. 4kp Russell had
expressed h itnself with great eloquence on the ae stitu t ion of thi s
country, when addressing lately the citizens of Edinburgh,
and to much that the Noble Lord said in praising this
country every reasonable man would assent; but he (Mr.
Villiers) said that every. man would deny throughout
Europe that the corn-law in this country operated against
:.he power of the Government. They might point to a
despotism, and make comparisons between this country and
it unfavourable to the latter, but where did they see a
despotism in which there was anything to exceed the prac-
tical injustice of the law which was passed to make the
wealthiest aristocracy in Europe still wealthier by means
which exposed millions to want.—(Loud cheers.) They
knew that the. substitution of the sliding scale was asserted
to have sprung from a desire that food might be abundant
in this country, and that we might be independent of fo-
nigiferi, Now was the moment to observe the operation of