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

1 01
19

4
12 0
J 7

14 6

16 6

4
3

Jll°s. Mason and Sons, Ashton
larlow and Brothers,
• Tweeciale, Rochdale • •
CCrossfield, Liverpool • •
Howarth, Rochdale • •
lh.aLlclaosward, Hyde •
-
An admirer of Sir Robert Peel (Laughter) ...
B. George Wilson (Chairman of the Council) ..
Smith and Sons • •
i-„arr• Curtis, and Co.
••• • • . •
Johnson, jun.
•••
henry Bagley
•• • • ••
A• Merry, Liverpool ...
Tho;. Harvey, Liverpool •••
W• B. Watkins (Mayor of Manchester) ...
8. P. Robinson
A• W. hats Thornel, of Ai gapti wyid Now, htcli •

LEAGUE FUND, £lOO,OOO.
Dr. (B)
January 1. To amount of receipts as per
statement rendered
December 6. To amount of subscriptions and
bazaar receipts from January Ito this date 35,678 8 10
December 8. To discount and interest re-
ceived this year

320 4

£122,508 1 0

Cr.
December 6. To balance in hand
January 1. By amount of expenditure, as
per statement
December 6. By amount of expenditure to
this date as per statement ...
Balance

51,141 2 5
12,033 11 1

£122,508 1 0

WILLIAM BICKHAM, Members of the Finance
SAMUEL LEES, Committee.
'one WILLIAM RAWSON, 'reasurer.
Examined and found to be correct,
WILLIAM EVANS, Member of the Council.
The report was received with loud applause.
kr. Alderman CALLENDER moved that the accounts
Were satisfactory, and be approved.—(Cheers.) He had
been connected with the League from its commence-
Ileat. There was not a single farthing, except petty
Was not
without a vote of the Committee. There
;48 not a farthing expended without full value received.
'beY were now in sight of the accomplishment of the
reat measure which they wished to see repealed, and
here was no measure which to sueh an extent promised
tt° forward holiness, godliness, and homely comfort to
'l(li)Qopi. of this country.—(Cheers.)
i„ ilEywonTii, Esq., of Liverpool, in second-
ing motion, said that he was one of fifty gentlemen
-'lO guaranteed 1,0001. each two years ago. He had
Paid more than a thousand pounds. Would it become
;ein, now that they were in sight of their much-to-be-
,esired object, to be silent ? No ; it would ill-be.
tree Englishmen. They must not only get that, but
°Y must also give the franchise to the bulk of the
L'eoPle. These things could not be done without funds,
"1.!,(1 the meeting must come forward liberally. The
aristocracy even would be enriched by free trade. Had
trade been unprecedentedly profitable during the
11114 t twelve months, in consequence of the cheapness of
;441? He appealed to every gentleman present to say
',ether that was not the fact.
~rhe Chairman put the motion, which passed unani-
"'ously.
kr. Alderman NEILD moved a resolution to the effect
Nat the meeting, composed of the merchants, traders, and
ether
manufacturers of Manchester, repeated their so-
,:!.°11 protest against the laws which prohibit the free im-
ratation of grain and other provisions, believing them
be opposed to the interests not only of the people of
manufacturing classes, but also of the agricultural
toirest, and pledging itself not to relax in its exertions
PPport the League. He considered that they bad
to a great moral victory upon this question. Had
ce corn-laws been abolished by a mere numerical vote
of►te the House of Commons in six or twelve months, the
tery would not have been so great. After an earnest
irPeal to the meeting to support the League, he said that
kthe corn-laws were once repealed, every man must
h that they were abolished for ever. He called
,inin the meeting to show that the men of Manchester
'le in earnest upon this momentous question.
1,41 r. R. ASHTON, of Hyde, seconded the resolution,
PAS
passed amidst great cheering.
thl/47r. H. ASHWORTH, of Bolton, moved a resolution, ex-
tfics°ing the greatful sense in which the meeting viewed
e exertions of the 4 National Anti-Corn-law League in
the Cause of freedom of trade ; and, in order to enable
the
council to make renewed and increased exertions, a
Zescription of 250,000/., be entered into.—(Loud
eerB.) He had seen a subscription of twelve millions
ttptered into for the purpose of saving an hour in the
I,l4tanee between London and Manchester, and he called
trun
the meeting to come forward with their subscrip-
els towards the funds of the League. He dwelt upon
the necessity of the League turning their attention to
jue registration courts. No man had suffered any in-
rY from the purchase of a freehold, for he could get
Beater interest from his investment than he could get
o
the savings' banks. They had once seen the ports
Cn--not to let in grain, but to let it out. The Govern-
-4 had sent out doctors, not to repeal the corn-laws,
14;
nth see whether they could convert rottenness into
Alderman KERSHAW seconded the motion, observing
that he had known the League when it was no bigger
ttul° a man's hand, and he could truly say that no insti-
-114" no much deserved public support. He rejoieed to
th. the importance of the meeting duly appreciated by
4 Peoplet of Manchester, who had met once more, and,
he understood, once fur all, to express their
thZust and disapproval of the laws which affected
bell industry of the people.—(Loud cheers.) He
of aped this would be the last time that the League
ko4 appeal to the people, and he never subscribed
tiriZeY with so much; pleasure as to the fund of the
hc, gue, for he considered it the best investment which
ho de
They must back their
1/0,74 who had to meet a band of monopolists in the
Lith;se of Commons. They must attend to the registra-
es,pq counties, and the fate of those laws was sealed for
,C—(Loud cheers.)
I,4elotion for a subscription was then agreed to.
ina),2 CHAIRMAN said he would set the example. For
(Tic 't and brothers he would subscribe 1,0001.-
114derib_endous cheers.) Last time they gave 5001. He
844 4tood that twenty-five gentlemen would do the
The
applause.)
ne following subscriptions were then an-
llnced ,
Chadwick, of Eales 1,000
;,Iturence Heyworth . • • • ••• • • 500
rerunes Thomasson, of Bolton .. 1,000
Ilshaw and Co. . . 1,000
••• • • •
°lnas Hoyle and Sons • • • • 1,000
7kr. COBDEN said that he had been commissioned by
Brooks to say, that he would not be " second
li:J to any one, and if any one gave a larger subscrip-
fe than 1,0001., his name must be put alongside of it.
t dust he at present .. 1,000
VtiutZt Ashton, of Hyde ••• 1,000
Itiftlayles and Brothers, of Staleybridge ... 1,000
'elt Platt, of Staleybridge .. 1,000
4. bert Lees and Son, Dukenfield . . 1,000
Whittaker and Sons 1,400
gt*L'right and Brothers 1,000
I,Cliel Ashton and Brother... .. 1,000
44 ems
Ashton and Sons, Hyde ... ... 1,000
lenes king and Son, of Rochdale .. .. 1,000
1:1;33rn. Booth and oyle, of Rochdale ... 1,000
)tt:er Dixon and Sons, Carlisle ... ... 1,000
v. ,Joseph Eccles, Mill-hill, near Blackburn 1,000
g 'les, Shorrocks, and Co., Darwen ... 1,000
llielinrY and Ed. Ashworth, of Turton .. 1,000
aigaton, Brothers, of Blackburn .. .. 1,000
',tnes Buckley, John Buckley, and Brothers,
Ai • Buckley and Sons ... .. 1,000
4.411 d S. Henry and Co. .. ... 1,500
Affaars. Mather and Family, of Liverpool .. 700
a. bred Reyner and Brothers, of Ashton .. 1,000
40t). Smith, Manchester .. ... 500
Cheetham, Staleybridge .. 500
4 naard Matley ... 500
4„a,rdner and Bazley'... ' ... 500
Cm Ashton, of Hyde .. 500
441,1 ender, Beckham, and Co. .. 500
,j tfleywood, Acresfield . - 500
4(t)un Fenton, of Crimble .. 500
try
40,‘-ionnel and Co., Manchester .. 500
4,11 and Thomas Potter ... 500
annerman and Sons ... . • •• 500
r,"ard Cobden—(Loud cheers) .. .. 500
t C 8
—lt goes against my conscience to take
e'lkeheers.)
Armitage and Sons ... 500
roert Johnston, Manchester ... 500
•A' Steiner (of Church) ... 500
Sl 11Yrnous, per J. Bright .. .. 500
•eletcher, Son, and Co. ... •.. ... 500
tuellAlßmArr—l receive this with the. greater plea-
Itte, for it is the first time they have come forward.
11„tvas always a matter of regret to me that they did
to-: Come forward, and join us in all our ebgage-
ets-- (Cheers.)
Vrtge Foster, of Sabden
4t,bl.Ross ••• • • •••
•••
Qt
HMunns ••.
e, Sons, and Sowerby, Dukenfield 300
Nv°,roinson, Brothers, and Son .. 400
ells, Cooke, and Potter ... 2.50
J• •alcrris . • 250
',Rawson, and Hall and Rawson .. .. 400
JMason and Co. ... £250
•A• Tbicknesse, Wigan .. . ... 250
Arilea Carlton (new subscription) .. ... 250
Iv ••• • • • • • • ••• 250
111.` Ilargreave, of Grange ... 200
Taylor, Wigan ... . 200
Vaessrs. Murray ••• . • • • • • 100
be r t Stuart ••• ••• • • . 300
'.,_,lldlay and Sutcliffe ••• . 200
Christie and Son ... , 200
lit"Qltellead and Brothers .. 500
and J. M'Call ••• .. 200
'tans
and Miss M'Call ••• ••• 100
and Nicholson • • ••• 200
41PEen, Thomson, and Co. • • 250
erzons and Hunter ••• ••• 250
wl3eattie and Co., Rochdale ••• 200
41- Alkard, Warrington ... 250
J. and •Allen, Warrington 250
and P. Schofield, Littleborough
Brewer and Co. .. 250
250
b.°bert Crewdson 50
Th:la) Dean, and Co. 150

500
. 500

Heald and Wilson ... ... ... ...
Stanley and Hardwich, Ashton ... ••1
James Ogden, Dukenfield ... • • •••
Thos. Hunter .. • • • • .. •••
1 Benj. Nicholl ... •.• • • •••
Curry Powder, per J. Wilson—(Laughter)..
W. Ed wards .. .. ••• ..
' Charles Potter, Darwen ••• • • •••
H. Potter, Darwen ... .. • • ..
Edward Potter, Darwen ... • • • •
Henry Lee, of Glossop • • ... •••
F. R. Atkinson .. .. •••
E. Potter and Co. ... .•• ... •••
R. Holroycl and Co. ... ... .. ..,
Nicholson and Evans .. ... .. ..
A. Walker, M.P., Bury .•• ••• ...
J. Grundy, ditto ... ... ••• • •
R. Ashton, ditto ... ••• ... ••
T. and J. Wrigley, ditto .. • • ..
J. and E. Grundy, ditto .. ... •••
T. A. and J. Grundy, ditto ... ••• •••
Walker, Smith, and Co., ditto • • ..
J. Walker, ditto .. •• ••• ..
Edward Grundy, of Park-hill, ditto .. •••
J. Wrigley, ditto .. . • ••• •••
L. and R. Openshaw .. ... ••• •••
Forth and Howarth, Todmorden ... •••
W. Hallawell, ditto ... ••• •• ....
A. Ormerod and Brothers, ditto ..- ...
J. and A. Stansfield, ditto ••• ..
J. and W. Barker, ditto ••• • • •••
R. Hibbert and Sons, Godley ••• •••
R. Clarke ao4i Sons ... ... •• • ...
Procter and Co., Rochdale ... .. •••
'l'. Chadwick, ditto .•• ••• . • ..
S. Taylor, ditto ••• • • -•• •••
J. Chadwick, ditto ••• ••• •••
Henry Kelsall, ditto ... • • • • -.•
1 R. Kelsall, ditto • •• ••• ••• •••
Robert Heap, ditto ... ••• .•• ...
Robert Schofield, ditto •••
George Howarth, ditto ••• ••• • -
Joseph Crook, Bolton ••• ••• •••
P. R. Arrowsmith, ditto .. - • ...
Joseph Whitworth and Co. .. .. ...
Henry Walmsly, Fulsworth ... ...
J. Barrett and Sons ... • . ... ...
E. and J. Jackson, Manchester .. •••
J. Midgley, Rochdale .. ... ... ..
Jacob Tweedale and Sons, ditto ... ...
Joseph Fenton, ditto ... . • ••• •••
Thomas Shaw, ditto ... ••• .. ..
B. Heap, ditto ... ••• •••
Ogden and Co. ... . •• ..
J. and J. Bancroft, Ashton ... ...
John Turner, of Godley (new subscriber) ...
Prentice and Cotterell .. .. •••
Petty, Ernest, and Co. ... ••
Edwin Moorhouse, a working man, from
Ashton ... ... .. ... •••
J. and J. Platt, Oldham ... ••• ..

Harvey, Tysoe, and Co.
J. Heginbottom Ashton

25
100

200
100

W. Richardson and Co., Stand ••• ... 200
J. C. Dyer ... ... .. ••• ••• 50
Thos. Roberts ... ... • • .. 100
J. Gatley and Brothers • • .. 100
..
F. Schwann, of Huddersfield ••• ... 400
Mr. Bright said, Huddersfield will send at least 5,000
Crossfield and Co., St. rielLn's ... ••• 50
0. Ormerod, Rochdale .. ••• .. 50
J. Howard ... 20
.. ••• ••• • •
Sugden ... ••• .. • • ••• 5
C. Littlewood .. ... ••• • • ••• 25
R. Taylor .. „• ... • • 20
.
J. Cropp, of London .. .. .. • • 25
A Friend
••• ... ••• ••• ••• 50
Ryland .. 50
.. ... ... •••
Mullmeux .. ••• 25
••• • • ••
R. Wray
••• ... .. ••• ••• 25
Jos. Acton, Wigan ... ••• ••• ... 100
Johnson and Co., ditto ••• ••• ... 100
JD. Fernley, Stockport ••• ••• ... 100
W. Johnson ... ... ••• .. ... 100
J. Evans, Wigan
W. Riley, ditto
J. Aspinall, ditto
J. Acton, ditto
J. Aspinall, ditto
L. Parker and Co., ditto
R. Rawson and Co.

..• •••
••• ...
••• ... 18031. 15s. 6d.
... _ 1

H. Wood's workpeople, and others ..
J. B. Pearson ...
W. White, London ..

J. Chadwick

J. Hampson, Stockport
Dixon and Galloway ...
D. Morris ... ...

Ken worthy Booth
J. Yates
R. Owen
Professor Newman

Mr. COBDEN announced Lord Ducie's name for

l OW., and to be doubled if necessary
E. Walmsley, Stockport ..
Silas Leigh, Worsley ... ...
Evan Leigh, Ashton ... •••
Jos. Brotherton, M.P.—(Cheers)
W. Sagan ... ...
Clarke Brothers ... ... ...
J. and W. Fielden

T. Bottcmley
J. Mason

J. R. Barnes and Sons
W. C. Chambers .

J. Nuttall
L. Wilson

J. Stanfield
E. Whittaker ..,
Three others ..
C. J. Darbashire

E. Royle

J. Standing ...
T. Harvey, Liverpool
T. Simpson ..
T. Leigh ...
P. Walker, Eccles

Gaskell ..
Two others ..
From Todmorden
Small sums from ditto

J. Branson
J. Mallenson and Sons

J. Pollock, Esq. •• .. .. ••
J. Chadwick and Brothers, Eccles .. ...
J. Marshall, Horsforth, near Leeds .. ...
H. Stanfield, of Leeds, says their subscription

will be doubled .
R. Romney ... ... ...
W. 'Wilson, Stockport ...
G-. and E. Waters, Manchester

Ellis Cunliffe, ditto
B. Whitworth, ditto

W. 111‘Cartilei, ditto ..

Thomas Johnson

E. West

John Kay, Huddersfield . • .. ..
Crossfield, ditto .. ... ... •e•
Edw. Heaps, ditto .. ••• ••• •
Foster Shaw, ditto .. ••• ... •••
R. Welsh ... ... ... • • •••

C. H. Jones

G. Cooke and Sons, Ashton ...
R. Dewhurst, Huddersfield ..

100
100
50
50

Mr. COBDEN, who was received with the most deafen-
ing plaudits, which lasted several minutes, addressed
the meeting as follows :—Two years ago, when we held
a meeting in the small room adjoining, and when 14,000/,
wcts subscribed to the great League fund, an influential
London paper designated us, in its own graphic mode,
" a great fact." Now, Gentlemen, I believe to-day our
subscription already amounts to upwards of 50,0001., and
that, I suppose, may be designated a still greater fact.—
(Cheers.) Without the slightest exaggeration (we are
apt, in addressing public meetings, sometimes to ex-
aggerate a little), I believe I may say that this meeting,
in the middle of the day, on a market-day, in Manchester,
is unprecedented in its numbers and the influential cha-
racter of the individuals who compose it.—(Cheers.)
I take it, no one will dispute that the amount subscribed
in this room to-day far surpasses any subscription ever
entered into in one room for any public object whatever.
—(Cheers.) I am glad to witness altogether the tone of
this meeting. There has not been the slightest reference
made to the changes that have been going on at Govern-
ment head-quarters almost as rapidly as the entrances and
exits of pantomime on the stage. We have not lost our
time by speculating on what this or that Administration
is going to do for us ; we have resorted to a much safer
mode of defending ourselves.—(Cheers.) This meeting
will afford to any Administration the best possible sup-
port in carrying out our principles. If Sir Robert Peel
has an intelligible and straightforward course to pursue
—if he will promulgate plainly and candidly that he
purposes fully to carry out the principles of free-trade—
if he will only avow his determination to practise what
he preaches, he will see there is strength enough in the
country to support him ; and I am sure I should not be
speaking the voice of this great meeting did I not say
that if he will take that straightforward and honest
course he will have the support of the League as fully
and as cordially as any other Prime Minister her Ma-
jesty could appoint.—(Loud cheers.) This subscription
has been entered into by all present without a full ex-
planation of what mode we intend to adopt in collecting
it, or how we intend to apply it, and I am glad the money
has been put down without that explanation, inasmuch
as it shows that you are determined, at all events, what-
ever comes, that funds shall not be wanting to fight the
battle. But, as what passes here will be read by our
friends throughout the country, and with interest through-
out the world, it is quite right that we should explain
the plan we have in view in calling for this large sum.
We are not bankrupts—as you have heard, we have a
sum of money in hand ; but we who take a prominent
part in the executive department of the League wished
to have the assurance that, however much this battle
may be prolonged, however obstinate the resistance
that may be offered to our just demands, there is a de-
termination in the country to back our exertions with
adequate funds.—(Cheers.) I knew, Gentlemen, we
should have your support ; I never doubted it. I would
nct have given 1 per cent. to any one to guarantee me
the full amount of the quarter of a million when we
' galled for iti--(Choori.) Who pia that his inn pro-

10 posed is this :—To, Beall for an instalment of 20 per cent
10 on this subscrioum at ghee, and the rest when neces-
,o sary. You arse as well able to judge as lam whether it
Cs
t the contest will be prolonged beyond ano-
O tbe helrikey
eelss'2 For my own part, I think that our oppo-
o
nents (with any sense of prudence or policy—l mean
with regard to their own interests) cannot carry it on
beyond the next session. I don't believe they will find
men of intellect sufficient to lead them and undertake the
O departments of the Government to maintain this system.
• —(Cheers.) It is quite clear that the Queen has been
ns wanting servants simply because nonc could be found
10 worthy to serve her Majesty, and willing to do the work
10 of the Duke of Richmond.—(Cheers.) We are go-
verned in this country not by enlightened men like
Lord John Russell, or Sir Robert Peel, or Sir James
0 Graham, fit to take office and serve the Queen and the
0 country—we are governed by the ignorance of the coun-
try—we have an inert mass of landlord political power to
O deal with, impervious to reason, inaccessible to argument,
O and unconscious of defeat in argument, or they would not
O have resisted us so long as they have done. The
O monopolist landlords of this country recognise but one
O power—the power of force. They will yield to nothing
O but power, and that power you have armed us with by
0 the subscriptions of this day.—(Cheers.) I have said I
9 think it would be wise in them to yield next session ;
hut let us tell them what we are prepared to do if they
_.) do not yield honestly.—(Cheers.) Allusion has been
made to day instinctively, by all the speakers almost, to
) the necessity of increasing our exertions in the county
) registrations. The county qualification is the leverage
) by which we can wholly overturn the ignorant authority
) of these monopolist landlords—(Cheers)—by which one
) can transfer the power from the Duke of Richmond, and
) the Duke of Norfolk, and their peers, to the intelligent,
middle, and industrious classes of the towns of this
country.—(Cheers.) I have no hesitation in telling
them, and I think they will now believe what I say, when
backed by such a demonstration as this, that if they
resist the settlement of this question—if the next session
does not bring this question to a just settlement, we will
' plant our registration agents in every county in the
kingdom—(Cheers)—and I pledge myself, from a long
study of the subject and a wide investigation of it, that
in less than three years from this time, armed with the
funds you have placed at our disposal, I can unseat 100
monopolist county members, and place in their stead
men who will vote in accordance with the interests of
the great body of the people, instead of the interests of an
ignorant class.—(Cheers.) They know what I am telling
them to be true ; they have felt it already ; and I have
no hesitation in saying that the speedy settlement of this
question will be brought about (more by the demonstra-
tion we have already made in the counties, and the suc-
cess which has attended our efforts in four or five of the
most important of them, than by anything else we have
ever done or attempted to do.—(Loud cheers.) Gentle-
men, as we are here speaking to our friends all over the
country, I should wish just to add a remark upon the
mode in which this subscription must be raised. Many
of our friends elsewhere may probably expect that Mr.
Bright and I might be in a position to pay them a suc-
cession of visits, as we did two years ago, and hold
public meetings throughout the country, and assist them
in making their subscriptions ; but that is, unfortunately,
impossible. Mr. Bright and myself can be nowhere
so serviceable for the next Six months as in the House
of Commons, and as it is not in our power to visit our
friends elsewhere, I hope, and feel confident, :when they
see how Manchester, at one meeting, has subscribed a
quarter of the whole sum required, they will, in other
places, by their own spontaneous exertions, make up the
remainder.—(Cheers.) I may add, that I have not can-
vassed a single individual for one farthing of this sub-
scription ; therefore, so far as I am concerned, gentlemen
have come forward in this noble manner without any
personal trouble to myself. I mention this that others
may mark the spirit which has prevailed here, and
act themselves accordingly.—(Cheers.) There is another
point to which, in all frankness, I must allude. It is the
opinion of many sanguine minds that this question must
now be settled within the next two ur three months ; I
am not so sanguine, although I don't see how the mono-
polists can tide over another session ; but we must be
prepared for all accidents. These sanguine friends, how-
ever, may ask, " Shall we be liable to pay all this money
we have put down our names for if the corn-laws are
abolished in the meanwhile ?" It is quite fair that the
most explicit understanding should be had on that
point. Our object in associating together was to procure
the abolition of the corn and provision laws, and of this
we believe there is but one fair and candid interpreta-
tion—we meant corn, we meant beef, butter, cheese—in
short, we meant the primary elements of human subsist-
ence grown on our own soil.—(Cheers.) We said, " We
don't want a league to put down the sugar or coffee mo-
nopoly," feeling assured that the landowners themselves,
stimulated by a sense of their own interests, would do
all that for us, when once we deprived them of their
own monopoly.—(Loud cheers.) The total abrogation
of the corn and provision laws would at once dissolve
this League, and altogether exonerate every gentleman
from any further claim to contribute to its funds.—
(Loud cheers.) I think it may be useful to some of our
most candid opponents that they should know that
now. It has been reported that this is a body seeking
anarchical objects ; that we want to do away with
primogeniture; that we want to root up the Church;
that we are opposed to all law and constituted authority
in the country; but I defy our opponents to find in the
House of' Lords itself a body of men so interested in
public order, so identified with the maintenance of our
institutions, as the body of capitalists I see before me in
this room.—(Cheers.) We have no such objects. Our
object is bond fide. We are united for one object; we
are a rope of sand on any other question. Mr. Bright,
Mr.,Wilson, and myself, differing on a dozen other ques-
tions, are united for this only, and therefore I tell the
monopolist landlords, who are afraid of what we are
doing in the counties, if they think this may go on to
more than corn—if they think the qualification we are
now procuring may be good for other questions as well
as corn, they may now stop and dissolve us by the aboli-
tion of the corn laws.—(Loud cheers.) But if they want
to keep alive this association—if they want to give some
of those gentlemen among us who have ulterior objects,
and I don't know but there may be some who have—if
they want to give them the power of keeping our bond of
union intact, then they must keep up some wretched rag
of their system of monopoly.—(Cheers.) If Sir Robert
Peel wants to root out his friends in the counties more
than they are, let him come down to the House
of Commons with some new " dodge" at the opening
of the session.—(Loud cheers.) We say distinctly we
will have no conditions.—(Long continued cheering.)
If they ask us to pay for the abolition of the corn-laws
by a grant of money, by transferring their taxes to our
shoulders, if they can find any they pay exclusively, we
say, "You have been challenged to show your peculiar
burdens, and uniformly ran away. We ask you to show
us one tax you pay which we do not, and we in return
will undertake to show five taxes we pay from which you
have exempted :yourselves."—(Cheers.) They have
abolished the duty on your yarn. By far the largest
industry of all your manufacturing processes is the spin-
ning of cotton yarn. The 10 per cent. duty on that
article was abolished last year ; as if Sir R. Peel
wanted to furnish a strong argument against the corn-
laws, he did away with the 10 per cent. wich some might
have considered a protection to you, in order that we
might say we not allow the agriculturists to have
protection at our expense.—(Cheers.) We say, then, we
will have no conditions, no qualifications.—(Cheers.)
Let this matter be settled fairly and j ustly,without terms
or compromise, and the League is abolished.—(Cheers.)
Bear in mind, if we talk of compromise or concession, we
will admit that the corn-laws have been a benefit
to those who have maintained them ; that I
altogether deny.—(Loud cheers.) I challenged their
advocates twice in the House of Commons, but
they dared not go into committee, for I could
have prove] from the mouths of the best agriculturists
they have never been a benefit to either farmer
or landlord.—(Cheers.) We do not proceed on the nar-
row basis that this question is one merely affecting our
interests, We say that the land of this country main-
tains a value only in proportion to. our wealth, and the
prosperity of manufactures and commerce ; and to ad-
mit that the corn-law had been beneficial to its upholders,
to come to any terms of compromise, would be to give
purpouodulry Iwfheeol being lein ca s .—C
her
surroundeds')men prepared to make such magnanimous sacrifices to
case.—(Cheers.)
here cannotby a s ay
bodyh how
the cause of free-trade.—(Cheers.) You have been
complimentary to us for the exertions we have made ;
but we should have been nothing without the magnificent
support you have given us.— (Cheers.) I cannot help
feeling gratification at this movement, which has taught
the leading men in this country—the most useful and
important in the kingdom—the power they possess ; and
I hope they will use it to elevate themselves in the social
scale.—(Cheers.) You, Gentlemen, are not promoting
any narrow interest—you are promoting the cause of
the whole kingdom, of the whole world—(Cheers)—and
in carrying out your principles Manchester will hereafter
be recognised as the birthplace, the cradle of free-trade.
As Jerusalem is identified with the origin of our faith,
as Mecca is with that of the Mahomedan, so in history
will Manchester be recognised as the birthplace and spring
of that great movement, the greatest since the invention
of printing, which will have the greatest effect in the
world's history of any struggle that ever took place in the
annals of civilization.—(Loud and vehement cheering.)
Mr. BRIGHT, M.P., then said—l am at a loss for words
to express the delight which I feel at the event which
takes place this morning in this town. lam surrounded
by some gentlemen who have attended meetings in Man-
chester for the last thirty or forty years, and they have
never met in their experience any circumstance of a
public character in this town at all to be compared with
that which we have all here witnessed. No man here-
after can say there was anything unsubstantial or insin-
cere in the character of the great movement with which
we are connected. Past meetings have demonstrated that
we are in earnest, and, if confirmation were necessary,
we have now read that confirmation in the fact of these
subscriptions, It is a fact which will tell most power-
fully
.on public opinion, and most powerfully also on the
decision at which the now-forming Cabinet must spee-
dily arrive.—(Hear, hear.) We have told the world that
trade in this district is resolved no longer to work in
fetters ; that we are determined to emancipate our in-
dustry and ourselves. We are held to be valuable as
creators of wealth, and held specially valuable by the
most powerful class in the kingdom so long as we will
create wealth for that class to enjoy ; but the moment
we raise ourselves and look up from the circumstances of
suffering and oppression in which we are placed, then
that class and its organs in the press heap slander and
obloquy upon every person connected with manufactures
in this part of the country. I have in my hand two
extracts, which I am desirous of reading to the meeting,
to show what is the feeling with which we are regarded
by that class with whom we are now coming into serious
collisicn. On the 16th of this month a morning paper
—supposed to be, assuming to be to some extent, the
organ of the late Ministry, and hoping also, I presume,
to be the organ of the present Government—the Morn-
ing Herald--(Hisses)—published the following para-
graph:—" It may be, however, that Sir R. Peel contem-
PllO5 the accompaniment of a modification of the