The Sun.
London, England, 1845-12-09 00:00:00

FREE TRADE MEETING.

A great free-trade meeting was held on Friday
evening, in the Music Ha'l, Store-street, Tottenham-
court-road, composed of the friends of free trade and
the enemies of monopoly. The spacious ball was filled
in all parts, from the floor to the lofty roof, and the
greatest enthusiasm pervaded the proceedings through-
out. General Briggs took the chair.
The Gallant GENERAL opened the business of the meet-
ing by directing attention to the state of the markets,
the potato crops, the public meetings being held against
the corn-laws throughout the kingdom, the enormously
increased price of the people's bread (estimated by the
League at twenty millions a year, or four hundred thou-
sand pounds a week over the price of last year), and
proceeded to observe that Sir Robert Peel had, in the
last session of Parliament, told the country that " the
corn laws would necessarily require some modification,
but it should be done gradually and cautiously." Sir
James Graham, the Gallant General continued, insisted
on "the urgent necessity and duty of providing enlarged
supplies'of food for a growing population, and of giving
a free and uninterrupted current to the flow of national
industry ;" and in the same speech that Minister says,
that an abundant supply of food is, after all, the matter
of primary legislative importance." And the Times of
the day before had told them that the " Ministers had
resolved to assemble Parliament early in January, and
to propose the total and unconditional repeal of the corn
and provision laws."—(Hear, and loud cheers.) The
Gallant General, in allusion to this statement, read ano-
ther extract from the Times, in allusion to its authority
being questioned by two other journals, purporting to be
official, viz. :
"The surprise excited by the announcement in the Times
of yesterday, on the subject of the corn-laws, has been no-
where so intensely felt as in the offices of the twin
journals,' which have been for some time under the delusion
that they are the organs of the Government. It has been the
monomania of these two melancholy prints to imagine that
they possessed the confidence of the Treasury, and they
have been babbling about the corn-laws to the very lasi,
under the erroneous impression that they would be the first
to be apprised of any important resolution of the Cabinet.
It was only yesterday that the morning half of these precious
Gemini indulged in a dreary drivel to prove that the corn-
laws were failure,' and that therefore the Premier ought
not to be expected to abandon them. The aged gossip was
not aware that the question on which she was exhausting
her garrulity had been already virtually settled. Having
been amused at the blundering ignorance of the Mrs. Gamp
of the press, we looked with some curiosity to what she
would say in the character of Mrs. Harris. The effect pro-
duced upon that female nobody is quite astounding. She
don't believe a word of it,' for she has heard nothing about
it from Mrs. Gamp, who is the only authority for the opi-
nions of Mrs. Harris."
(The reading of the above excited roars of laughter in.
the meeting.) If the intelligence in the Times were
true, who, he (the Gallant Chairman) would ask had
brought it about ?—(Bear, hear.) The sturdy, uncom-
promising Tories of their own accord ?—(No, no)—
or had they been driven to it for fear of the popularity
of the Whigs ?—(Laughter.) The farmer would say,
" Why, did not we all along tell you there must be a
change ? and now the time has come."—(Hear, hear.)
Sir James Graham would say, " Did not I tell you the t,
after all, an adequate supply of food for the people must
be the first consideration ?"—(Hear, hear.) The
Whigs would say, " Lord John has been convinced
and has changed his opinion, and so have nee,
ho do not think the existence of the Constitution
depends on the support of the landed interest." Both
parties (continued the Gallant Chairman) had been con-
vinced, but by whom ?—(Hear, hear.) By the people
—(Cheers)—whom it has been the object of the League
to collect in thousands of meetings, like that which he
then had the honour to preside ever, to instruct—
( Loud cheers)—and to declare that they will have
these restrictions on the food of the people—these
starvation laws no longer.—(Rapturous applause.) The
Whigs took care not to do too much—(Hear, hear)—
they did away with some rotten boroughs, but they
kept some few for themselves.—(Hear, hear.) They
granted votes, for the fine time, to leasehold house-
holders of ten pounds in boroughs, and gave to coun-
ties 501. leasehold votes. That reform was spoiled in
the making—(llear, hear)—and when more was de-
manded by the people, those who had accomplished the
work, frightened at what they had done, called out
they should have no more.—(Hisses.) That Whig
Ministry lost the confidence of the people in its finality
system.—(Hear and cheers.) And though they knew
what was right, they clung to their order, and cheated
the people till they were turned out.—(Loud cheers
and cries of " Hear, hear.") The Gallant General then
proceeded to show, that a third party had risen up,
which had no ancestry to be proud of, nor connexion
with the aristocracy.—(Cheers.) It could boast,
he said, of what ennobled beyond a long line of de-
ceased ancestors. It had integrity, honesty of purpose,
and no cunning, nor left-handedness.—(Cheers.) It had
abundance of wealth, and by frugal habits, and habitual
liberality, it knew when and where to spend at the pro-
per time and place.—(Applause.) The free-traders and
the leaders of the middle class constitute that " third
party"—(Cheers)—and that party, having headed this
movement, had achieved, by peaceful agitation, in six
years, what could have bean effected by no other means.
—(Great cheering.) This agitation would shortly be-
come unnecessary—(Hear)—but not until they should
have effected a reform in the House of Commons, which
had been attempted, but had been left undone.—(Hear,
hear, and loud cheers.) For himself; he would not rest
satisfied till the Members of that House became what
they ought to be, according to the spirit of the constitu-
tion—(Loud cheers, and cries of "Bravo Briggs!")—the
Commons House of Parliament—the Representatives,
not of the aristocracy, which had a House of its own,
hut of the middle and humbler classes—the bulk of the
great mass of the people.—(Enthusiastic cheers, and
renewed cries of " Bravo l") To effect this, they should
have an extension of the suffrage—(Hear, hear, and
cheers)—and they should have the power of meeting
in the Registration Courts the 501. leasehold tenantry—
"the serfs of the landed aristocracy," who, as "tenants
at will," never ought to have had votes.—(Cheers, and
cries of "Hear and Bravo !") They should become a
sort of independent 40s .freeholders—(Cheers)—who, by
returning the friends of the people as the representatives,
would lay the foundation for the complete abolition of all
monopolies, whether of corn, sugar, timber, or game;
—(Cheers)—and the gradual but certain introduction of
other laws, which might be deemed by the great body
of the people wholesome, and conducive to national
prosperity. (Great, and long-continued cheerimg,
amidst which the gallant General resumed his seat.)
Mr. Moose, of the League, then rose, and having
addressed himself to the various evils with which the
corn-laws afflict the people, he expressed the gratifica-
tion which the country must now feel at the change
that has taken place in the minds of the working classes
on this question. The working men, he continued, were
not now disturbing the anti-corn-law meetings in the
manner they were wont to do ; and looking back to the
time when they were in such a habit, it was matter of
surprise that they could, at any time, have done so—
that they, for whose rights the League were standing
up, were the men who rose in public meetings against
the unjust corn-laws, and who moved " amendments "
to upset those meetings.—(Hear, hear.) They now
found out their mistake.—(Hear, hear.) They found
that " scarcity of food meant scarcity of wages"—
(Ilear, hear) —and they were now uniting to assist the
League to get rid of the laws which intervene to create
that sc4reity.—(llear, hear, and applause.) Their Gal-
-1 iet Chairman had told them that there had been a great
increase of 40s. freeholders throughout the country; and
it was more cheering still, that in South Lancashire, the
est Riding of Yorkshire, North Lancashire, and
North Cheshire, from one-sixth to one-fourth of those
increased votes were in the hands of working men.—
( Loud cheers and cries of " Bravo !")--men who pur-
l. based their votes out of the savings from their hard-
earned wages—(Renewed cheers and cries of "Bravo!")
—men who had difficulties to meet in the struggle to
g-.t bread for their families.—([fear, hear and applause.)
'ey began to feel the importance of the subject and
the necessity of having in their hands the means of
Detecting themselves and families, and of leaving a free
inheritance to their children of the rights which had
lleen too long kept from themselves.—(Cheers.) He (Mr.
Moore) could quote numerous instances of the employers
(f those honest working men lending them 30/. and 401.,
to assist them in making up the sum necessary to pur-
chase their freeholds.—(Applause.) It was most en-
ouragieg thus to see employers aiding their men to ob-
tain their political rights—([lear)—and to reflect that
the assietance thus afforded was conferred upon men who
Isere not subject to those employers, and who could leave
I hem at any time, and go to any other employer.—
and applause.) These were matters worth
congratulating the people upon ; and it was something
for the League to congratulate themselves upon, that
they had brought things to this cheering and, promising
issue.—(Hear, hear.) The people, the Learned Gentle-
.

man continued, had come together now under the

tression that the time of atinshine and abundance was

gone by, and that the time was not very far off when the
Pressure of want would come upon them ; for they were now
come together at a time when actual famine was threat-

ening to fall upon the country.—(Hear, hear.) Mr.
Moore then impressed upon the meeting that in America
there was never so abundant a harvest as at present;
said the question that the people of this country had to
to with now was, " Was there corn anywhere that they
t ould get ?"--(Hear, hear, and great applause.) At the
ort of Antwerp alone no less than 212 vessels laden
'with corn had entered after that port had been thrown
open for its free admission—(Hear)—and if the ports of
Britain were thrown open, he would put it to the meet-
ing, whether there would not come into them a far
greater number than 212 vessels ?—(Hear, hear, and ap-
Flause.) The Learned Gentleman then stated that a
lrest gathering of " Delegates,' was about to assemble
a London, from all parts of the country, for the purpose
f representing to Sir Robert Peel the depressed state
f the national welfare, consequent upon the mischievous
• ffects of the corn-laws ; that the factories are now, in
many instances, working " short time," and in many
others not working at all, the manufacturers (whose
arehouses are teeming with manufactured goods) not
1 eing able to find markets for their stock on hand.—
( Hear, hear.) Mr. Moore than alluded to Sir a Peel's
intimation that" the battle was to be fought in the Regis-
tration Courts;" and he (Mr. M.) was proud to say that it
was being fought in those courts, and that the Right Hon.
Baronet's party were losing in the struggle.—(Cheers,
and cries of " Hear.") He (Mr. Moore) called. upon
the country to unite with the League, and to make one
grand push, which was all they wanted.--(Hear, and
cheers.) Their cause was just, and the injustice they
were now attacking had decay and rottenness within it
—(Hear and cheers)—and jastice, sooner or later, in
this struggle must thrive.—(Cheers.) His earnest wish
was that the contest might soon come to an end.—
(Hear.) He felt they had worked long enough, and would
wish that they might rest from their labours, and say
" their work was done"—(Cheers)--and that God's
bounty to his people should not be interfered with and
if they were sure that the announcement in the Time
were true, " that Ministers were about to call Parlia-
ment together for the purpose of totally and uncoudition-