The Sun.
London, England, 1844-12-12 00:00:00

ask him, " Will you give us such a tariff as Sir it, and retitileave it to my children."-:--(Cheers.)
Pottirger gave the Chinese—and if you will There are many fathers here who have sons just

not, why did you subscribe a piece of plate to Sir reaching maturity. My opinion is fathers cannot
licnry for doing that for the Chinese which you s N hol'.
too soon what confidence _they repose in their
do not consider a good thing for the people of Eng-
children, and how willing they are to give them the
land ?" We have a good many of the same kind
.managementcins,sneed,
of monopolists with us ; and while London let hi.give him a county freehold,
subscribed 1,000/. to this object, they have raised circumstanced,
retain a judicious control over him. Some
3,000/- Those who subscribed form the leading men fathers says "I am willing to give my son a qualifica-
of the monopolist manufacturers, not the most intelli- tion,
,but I don't like the expense of the convey.
gent, numerous, or wealthy class amongst us, though fin"' ' Now, first, observing that none but free.
they sometimes say they are. A friend of mine asked trade lawyers should be employed, for obvious rea-
111e lately whether I was willing to subscribe ? I re- sons, I would suggest to the son to offer to pay the
Plied that I thought Sir Henry a most worthy man, expense of the conveyance to himself. If the father
far better than those who had subscribed a testimonial I'llthe (Hear,
. refuses, come to nee, and pay money.—
to him. "I believe," sail I, "he has done excellent and These are the means of qualifying,
laughter.
service to the Chinese people, and if the Chinese will I which, if adopted,. Middlesex will lee perfectly safe at
Send over a Sir Henry Pottinger to England, and if i Recollect, besides, you must take
the next election.
the Chinese Pottinger can succeed by force of argu- i care that none not qualified remains on the list. Some
ment O'er I want no force of artns) in extractingsay
;to ‘ start such objections is acting like the Carlton
from the stony hearts of the landed ne,nopelists i Cluh. Now, if both parties agree to leave on all
the same tariff for England our General has given i votes put
on the register, I ugree to the proposal ;
to China, then I will join heartily in giving but if our opponents strike off the votes on our side,
him a piece of plate."—(Loud laughter and and we do not retaliate, I wonder which will win.
Cheering for some minutes.) Well, gentlemen, this Some one wiser than his neighbours will perhaps tell
11 the way, we must come to business, notwith- you ‘ that the land being in possession of the landlords,
etanding. Our friend told you something of oar they.can cut up the land as they please, and
I ate proceedings. Some of our cavilliag friends (and 1 qualify only those whom they choose. As Mr.
we have a great many of that class, bilious persons, Villiers has well said, their estates are not
who not being of a gregarious character, can only their own in many cases. Four-fifths of the
hold aloof from a movement and criticise), say " this I parchments are not at home.—(Laughter.) But if
is a new movement of the League"—that is, the an- they retained their property
nauncement of bearding the landlords in their coun- votes, will they
enfranchise the labourers ? They
ties, Now we have changed nothing, and are acing- would like such allotments very muck. The only
rug nothing in our tactics. -We believe that every difficulty I see in the Case—judging from the accounts
step we have taken was necessary to arrive at the of Dorsetshire and Wilthshire—that one-half the body
Present stage of our ;movement. We began by lec• 1 will be found in the union workhouse, and the other
trlng and distributing !recta, in order to create lin gaol for poaching. No, the landlords have
an
C
enlightened public opinion, and we did that ne- done their worst. They want money, men, and
esearily for two or three years. We then commenced zeal in their cause. I believe we have struck the nail
our o
~
r operation on the boroughs ; and never was n the head. We never made any proposal which
ere at any time the same systematic attention, la- met with such an unanimous response from all parts of
bin
_ ell'', and expense applied to the borough registration the kingdom. It took two hours to read the letters
as at present.—(Cheers.) As regards our lectures, which ware received with reference to our resolution
we lecture still, only that instead of having some from all parts of the country. We sent circulars to
811'1111 rootn, three pair of stairs back, we have such every one who ever subscribed to our funds, and
!.na*nificent assemblies as the present to address. We we have everywhere been met with the same en-
have already distributed tracts. We now do so in thusiastic spirit. We have received, amongst others,
another form, and 20,000 copies of the League paper a letter from Ipswich, '; saying that Suffolk might
re circulated weekly for the last twelve months. Itour plan. We do not want
hasbe easily gained on .
Penetrated and gone the round of every parish in many counties. If we gain the more populous places,
the kingdom. In addition, we have, in obedience to North and South Laneashire, the West Riding of
Middlesex, the landed
'l._ " new light," proposed to disturb the monopolists Yorkshire, North Chester, and
icil their own counties. The first objection to this monopolistswould give up corn to save a great deal
answer
is, " that's a game two can play at." I case more.—(Loud cheers.) Some object to this plan as
with
that objection by saying we sit down to play not quite legitimate. We do nothing but what is
opponents who have all the stakes in their prescribed by the Constitution—we can conform to
i
ha 1.1(( s, while we have nothing to lose.—(Hear, and the law in spirit and fact—and do so by thousands
laughter.) They have played that game and won the and tens of thousands if you can. There is nothing
aounties. My friend (Mr. Villiers) had not a county in the proposal savouring of trick and finesse. The
rote on the last division on this motion. Now there days of factitious votes are passed. When the Low-
life 162 county Members in England and Wales, and there contended Westmoreland with Brougham—the
Ido not see an • chance of Mr. Villiers gaining a ma- Henry Brougham of that day—(Cheers)—the con-
iority e
i ( e already awde do
not win some of those seats. We test lasted fourteen days, and votes were manufac-
,lee
y got him South Lancashire, the most po- tured in great numbers. But now there is a re-
Pkus district in the whole kingdom, Lord Francis gister every twelve months ; your names are
gerton sits for the county, and a very powerful hung on the church doors, and no trick can
t flan, of vast property, and personally respected by all be played as none is intended, for at such play I am.
trbarties• Now, I have observed, that those who attack sure our opponents would be sure to beat us. Again,
—e League are generally very unfortunate. There
Ito we are asked," Why proclaim our plans ?" We have
1,1-1118 a fatality about everybody who insults us no secrets. We know thousands who read every
raw I mean to mention here one or two anecdotee word of what we now say, but we ared sure our op-
for the the benefit of Grandniamma, who looks of late
Ye
shadowy and attenuated than ever, but who ings. We speak to sympathetic
events will never condescend to realtiotuudrepsro:,heeodse
tiei!' in a ghostlike tone, continues muttering some-
wiling against us. Lord F. Egerton, two years ago feelings and hearts arewithfuts. multitudes,
where
ho n the question of the corn-laws was before the they tell us, if they had the o!.. p.shilling franchise
they would soon clear the Pones out of twelve
, use, spoke on the subject, and after saying a good
iinanY little pretty nothings, which go down in the counties, appeals to you. Ireland, suffering under
ue°l/ese from a Lord, and from nohody else, wound the same limitation, appeals to you, and asks wealthy
England whether, with such a weapon, she will not
Y offering us his gratuitous advice. It was that
We contend with a miserable, unintelligent, incapable oli-
„, should be good enough to dissolve.
n*garchy, which is governing your country.—(Cheers.)
Ter'd that advice in all kindness. Well, let an
To; I will not believe it. We will cry aloud, not here ,
Ft}:reeet::: 1-4-'w come on in South Lancashire, and
alone—but from every pedestal on which we may be
Lord
ehteire,is will see who will dissolve first.—(Much
placed throughout the country, though there is no
g and laughter.) Somebody has alluded to
pinnacle like this to speak from—we will say every-
on us ""her for Knaresborough. He was let loose
where, " Qualify, qualify, qualify," not simply for the
had b: starting, and in 1841 it would seem as if he
sake of the industrious millions, but for the
Who 11(nt there on purpose to bait him. Well,
What h„ he sake of the aristocracy themselves, and for the sake of
we bees the fate of that worthy gentleinau ?
their dependants and miserable serfs, the agricultural
till!, that House, a large majority of which hounded
°ll in 1841 voted unanimous) that his assertions labourers; qualify especially for the benefit of the
, y
Were landed interest, who, if left to their own thoughtless
plain
Runfonaresborough language, that he was a elan-
unded and calumnious. That means, in.
and misguided conduct, will bring this country down
serer and a I—. I shall not use the word.—(Cheers
to the condition of Spain or Sicily, and at the same
time bring themselves down to the same beggary
And laughter.) Now, there is one other case j']]
to which the Spanish grandees have brought
lnention fete the warning of the Herald, Sir
I Peel at the close of the cession when themselves; to avert this calamity from them, the
tohert , ,
ignorant and besotted few, we say, " Qualify, qualify,
Brndeavouring to regain the confidence of his
qualify."—(The Hon. Gentleman concluded amidst
`)llowers, which he would have stood on
tits head to accomplish, thought to have a loud and long continued cheering.)
ti
Mr. BRIGHT then came forward, and said—lt is
41118 at the Lea3
Usual solemn and pompous
and warned us
pompous tones, that we, in
now about twelve months since I took the liberty, upon
this platform, of expressing my opinion that mono-
here retarding the progress of free-trade, and setting
the farriers,,,k, of the country against us by the way in polists were greatly deceiving themselves if they ,
fancied that the return of prosperity to the menu-
141°1 we attacked them. Now mark what I say.
factoring districts would save them from the coni-
oLf will not be the League that will fall at the hands
timed agitation of the Anti-Corn-law League.
(tith_a farmers, but I predict it will be Sir Robert.—
tated then, that distress in the manufacturing dis-
e4r) and cheers.) Well, I was saying, we have
one ricts aided us, by the discontent which it occasioned,
(-1
she cieituiity to make Mr. Villiers a present of. I but that returning prosperity did so also, by the sub.
u like to know whether he would like to repre-
etit scriptions which the friends of the League poured
le„\ it himself.—(Cheers, the whole meeting standing into the exchequer. Now the past year has ex-
titi;)t I have heard but one opinion in Lancashire hibited more than 90,0001. subscribed by the free .
iis woe this, the first county we have to present him
traders of this country, thus proving zeal in the cause;
ti sheuld have the refusal of it. The monopolists and it does something, too, to prove their continued
pl4v: Played their game in the counties, and they have confidence in the council of the League—(Hear,
thi4.leu c'ut. With lynx-like vision they discovered on hear, and cheers)—and the increasing zeal whichcounties
e Passing of the Reform Bill the Cbandos clause, as a now found to exist in the manufacturing
the' 4ns of working out their end, and they made bra- is precisely on a par with what we have every reason}.g
Part:' "Ig, uncles, are, and to the third generation, to believe exists in the metropolis.—(Cheers.)
that the
war: era under the tenant-at-will clause, though they this great, fact,. lam led to the conclusion
ee„tr HQ more partners than you are. This they did sue • question which has been raised, and which is not
an tbullY and gained the counties. Now there is merely a cry got up for factious or momentary pur-
bec).":r clause in the Reform Act, meant to poses, but is intended to sink deeply into the minds
vshrlce,' livehe unprivileged and industrious, and those of the people, and thus become a part of their exist-
~ °-+
by their labour—l mean the 40s. franchise. ence, almost of their religion—(Cheers)----is a cause
Chtit4l: I will set the 40s. freehold clause against the which seizes as fast a hold of the feelings, as it does
ritcl:s Clause, and we will beat the Tories in the
eet,
v • You have heard how disproportionately on the reason, of our countrymen.—(Hear, hear.) I
lar
was a corn-law repealer before I had investigated the
pe't the constituency is in the rural districts, coin- question, and thousands of my countrymen are like
iedre:at° the towns. We will reduce the balance, by myself in that respect. Our natural impulses, our
hee-itig those in towns to qualify. How many. natural sympathies, revolts against the barbaroushe
ve,es',fustian•jacket men, who have not, I dare say, proposition, that the national prosperity ca
/0; e--. I will tell them how they will get county increased by a scarcity of food, and that the
fei.,i,' and at a far cheaper price than they can qualify great masses of the people among
.whom we
hour city. It is not an easy thing to take a 101. live can feed the better the scantier the
tet-i‘tT' and to occupy it, which he _ought to do to table be at which they do feed.—(Hear.) But in-
eae,-:e him to vote, but for 50/. or 601., and in many vestigation has confirmed the opinion which, perhaps,
the;,301., a man may purchase a 40s, freehold, was first held from the force of ardour, as well as from
Po '"Y insuring the interest of his money, with the feelings of sympathy.—(Hear, hear.) Investigation
tet:f cit' selling the property when he is tired of the had proved to us that the effect of the corn-laws on
eeith---(Cheers.) We are taunted by our opponents the foreign trade of the countryismost disastrous----
Po, disastrous--
having got up this agitation for middle- class pur- (Hear, hear)—that it raises hostile. and
ir vindictiveh
beZ, I discard the motive, for Ido not like any feelings on the part of foreign nations—( ear)—t at
Otir TA Confined to a class; but I know we have in
Pee "'Vie a large portion of the intelligent and it closes the ports of foreign customers--(Hear)—by
hostile tariffs ; that it diminishes the
and
so em-
the l7ftied middle classes, and I invite them to defeat ployment ; and diminishes the wages
It comfortss
t(),(1 )art(
at their own game. Mr. Wilson has the working population.—(Cheers.) Via.found
3'1311 that I have been into Yorkshire. Before the
counte ,
January there will be 2,000 new votes in that ruinous extent..
that our home trade was affected to a. still more
In the district* from which we come,
Neill I:'' 'have a guarantee. I can rely on it that it
Wirt
j-N"a-dune--(Loud cheers.) Now, I want you to for we are men who might formerly have been said
I,oescitiddlesex also. In the first place, there are to have had our home in Lancashire, alth_ougilleet::
nearly as much in London ( ,
are now
ta, gOO4 free trade votes not on the register. In
fee, the we we placed 1, rOO voters on the register
"Q"llir - .
triouslleer)—in that district we find the induc-
e revising barrister came round in ctobbeer, e population prostrate and suffering from the
operation of the corn-laws.—(Hear, hear.) There
list 1,11 these were induced to put their names on the
"I the
view . intense contest in May, they having pre-
addition, is one good, however, which has arisen from that sbue.
the .} neglected to qualify. We are, in fering. The sympathy which formerly existed
644Ugt to urge our friends to qualify in the way I have tureen the employer and employedd.hascb:ens retye
extended and greatly strengthened.—(Cheers.) (
Our opponents say that,
won ati'its'i d.
eto._ s regietration, they will beat us the next. I'll madnuturedsesotfrtohyieds choyunttyoapererscatirnrniedofonth, pisrolsewra_ii,
i3r:itat our cause to theirs (and I could not give
lawan almostpassed by a powerful class—a class against whosel
it }hoses 'D'ids), that we shall be winners by
Invasion of the rights of property thehe working people
114t-Illand at the next registration. Why should were wholly unable to
_desfenedlastsesmae
in themselves
—ality as
(lies: large additional number qualify in Mid- hear)—and we, the middle x
and In Hammersmith, Kensington, Chelsea, '
b all the surrounding districts (they being not I powerful
a class—we have not stood forth as we
.1- arli4 ) e have seen these men strug-
rnentar
leies y boroughs, and Marylebone, and West- ought to have done to defend them. IN e have seen
' our error—(Cheers —w .
tete,d' nut extending beyond Pimlico), every house to pauperism and the workhoase.—(Cheers ) We
ing against the evil necessity which was driving them
400 4t
3°l. a-
Year would give a vote for the county. have seen how nobly they
.1 have
nsdtreungsgetd(u—hesowr,
Will ebr 600 of these should be on the register, and great was their loven ofs dPe
Who e! I trust, by next year. There are, too, many Ihlereoism in some of
hear.)
'''f th4lllillt qualify if they wished. We have heard
large l'Agers' League. Now, I know there is a I pale.—(Lout cheers.) We came to London
tthnornsesrraieeleaVn.deTb have
whiche the heroism of warriors
3, ell" of mechanics who put by 405 or 601. I h quarters—as the heart of the empire—ea
14;41% I will not say a word to undervalue the sufferings. We were met by the landownersdestr withour
aatheesueat of Government--to explain the cause of these
Pert banks' but by the purchase of cottage pro- the statement, that if the corn-laws did
their labourers.
cants), , , he eould-ensure twice as good a return for his , labourers, it was neese!sary to.
ete, and walk up and down before his door, with ' protectto this new agitation ;
We were then led to inquire i
-I
ecl'uvicti• • and further inquiry brought out more of the truth,
on-.." the Is my own; I have worked for . __, tale whole truth will, I fear, sever be known.
•. • . , ....a.. ,
1 i-wto e