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

MEETING

4T 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 those
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. Angus, Jacob Angas, Summers llarford,
H. Stainforth (Hull), B. Metcalf (Liverpool), Thos.
Lattimore (Wheathampstead), Robert Hobbs, Chas.
Mackay, Joseph Ivimey, W. Geesin, Edwards,
H. 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 Grafftey, A. Baner (Man-
'chester), Richard Ware Cole, S. A. Smith,
Crabbie (Leith), George Blanshard, 11. L. Keeling,
J. T. Campo* 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 clock.
The minutes of the last meeting having been con-
firmed,
The Cnatamear 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 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 might 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 with him on that occasion, and 395 voted
against him, the majority forming considerably mote
tha.'i one-half the whole House. On the present
occasion, his minority was increased 34, and the
majoriy against him was reduced 65, leaving them
shorn of the majority they had in 1842 by 100.—
(Near, 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 :hat time.—(Hear.) Thus the
strength of his party wiss 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-Yaws.—(Hear, hear.)
There was no general election, and they had no
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, beim) 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 now
considerably behind public opinion.—(Hear, hear.)
How did he prove that ? Why, by asking then to
turn their eyes to their own city. One of the'-Mem-
hers for the City of London voted for the motion,
two voted apinst it, and the fourth ran away.—
(Cheers and tosses.) 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.) But
more than this, a majority of the constituencies of
eleven Members who voted against the motion re-
quested their representatives to support it.—(llear,
hear.) Adding those eleven to the 170 who supported
him it would be found that his friends had more than
doubled in the House of Commons.—(Hear, hear.)
Their niajority 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.
tin occurred.—(Cheers.)
Mr. Vieenses then came forward, and was received
with loud cheers. He said that the Chairman bad in-
formed them of what, no doubt, they were aware of
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 laws
were made, for the purpose of making his an-
nual inquiry from its authors upon what grounds
either of justice, wisdom, or humanity they
could defend the existence of them, and to
ask them whether they had any fresh expe-
rience, circumstances, or reason of any kind which
they could allege as a set-off against the mass of
misery, and mischief which annually sprang from
those laws.—(Hear, hear.) He came before them
at the request of the Chairman, and, notwithstand-
ing the contemptuous reference which had been
made to those meetings by Sir R. Peel—(Groans)—
out of respect to those who assembled there, to show
their sympathy with the sufferings of the people, in
on atT to convey to them his impression of the
result of the recent discussion and division on
the question of the corn-laws—(Loud cheers)—
and he would say at once that he never had leas
reason to be discouraged on the subject in his life at
that result—(Hear, hear)—for it had exceeded his
most sanguine expectations. The motion was brought
forward under very adverse circumstances, and he
was not prepared for that impression being made on
the conaitoencies and thereby on the members, which
had produced so large a minority in behalf of the mo-
tion he proposed. But it might be collected from the
orzans of the monopolists in Parliament and in the
pres.l4,- that they considered the result of that discussion
as most satisfactory to them and disastrous to the League.
But about that, he had something to say. Those
who represented the friends of scarcity in the house
of Commons—(Cheers)—expressed their satisfaction
at the speech of the President of the Board of Trade.
They hailed that speech with joy and surprise, and
the peculiar value of it, was as they expressed it, in
its honesty.—(Laughter.) That seemed to have
taken them by surprise ; but the honesty of it, as far
as they could collect was, that as far as he had power,
and as long as he lived, he would stick by the sliding
scale. Now, it was curious to find that any of the
party should have faith in any of the present
Ministry ; because, when Sir Robert Peel
solemnly promises that he will not abandon them,
some sarcastic friend gets up and says that he had
another corn-law in his pocket.—(Laughter.) And
on what grounds they had more faith in the young
statesman. Mr. Gladstone, he was at a loss to know,
for as far as he (Mr. Villiers) knew he was not of
that stuff of which martyrs were made.—(Laughter.)
Great consolation was derived from the division, and
the organ of the monopolists in the House of Peers,
in the person of Nis Grace of Richmond, told his
friends the tenants at will that they might now renew
their engagements, And expect the Act of
Parliament price, because the majority had
greatly increased against the repeal of the corn-laws,
and probably some persons would be found foolish
enough to follow his advice. What was the fact?
Why, twenty-eight men, who never before voted for
the total repeal had voted for it on this occasion 1—
(Hear.) Then they had the organs of those luminaries
in the press so satisfied with the result, that they
did not occupy themselves with the question whether
this debate had been a failure or not, but they entered
into a rather curious inquiry ; and the Morning Ile-
rald---(A laugh)—engaged itself to the extent of two
columns as to what had killed the League, and why
it.was that the people loved protection.—(Laughter.)
He was not able to understand exactly how they ar-
rived at the conclusion they had come to, but they
easne to the conclusion that it was owing to Sir R.
peers measures, which were of so comprehensive a
character that they settled every question.
--(Laughter.) They say that the agriculturists
might now be at rest, as the question was now settled,
Npw, that seemed to him, if he might venture to
differ from so venerable a personage, to be somewhat
doubtful.—(Laughter.) What reason was there for
supposing that the great agricultural question was
.settled, or that the Goverdsnent had done anything or
;'intended to do anything to settle it ? Those who sup-
ported the Government, said the question was settled,
because the Minister had said that he would stick
6'!ll4274ilinff-spale, and that the principle of protec-
tiosi-faboudhered to. Now, he maintained that
was nut anotigh'for the Minister to declare. There
was another condition necessary to give assurance to
the agriculturists, and that was, that the public
would stick to -
( r, hear, • and cheers.)
Unless they did so, his sticking to 01 sliding 6cOia