The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-11 00:00:00

GREAT FREE TRADE DEMON-

STRATI-ON AT ASHTON.

MANCHESTER, TUESDAY.—A great meeting of the friends
of free trade was convened in the spacious room of the Town-
hall, Ashton-under-Lyne, last night, in aid of the League
Fund. It had been announced for some time previously that
the Hon. Charles Pelham Villiers would address the meeting
then assembled, and great anxiety was consequently manifested
by the population of Ashton to have an opportunity of hearing
this great champion of free trade. Arrangements had been
made for a tea party, and the large room was provided with
from 30 to 40 tables, each accommodating from 20 to 30 per-
sons. The set-out altogether was one of the most brilliant
that we remember to have seen. There could not have been
far short of a thousandpersons.
About six o'clock R. Cobden, Esq., M.P., in company with
Thos. Ashton. Esq., and Oldham Whittaker, Esq., entered
the room, and was received with loud and continued applause.
Colonel P. Thompson entered soon afterwards, and was also
loudly cheered. Shortly before the meeting proceeded with
the business of the evening, the Hon. C. P. Villiers, in com-
pany with Charles Hindley, Esq., M.P. for the borough,
entered the. room, and was receivd with the most rapturous
applause, the whole company rising, waving their handker-
chiefs, cheering, and clapping their hands for a considerable
time. Among others of the deputation from the League who
attended the meeting, we observed Henry Ashworth, EN , of
Turton ; Mr.. R. R. R. Moore, barrister; and the following
gentlemen of Ashton and the neighbourhood were present :
Heny Bailey, Esq., Stale bridge ; John Whitaker, Esq., of
Hurst; Mark Andrews, Esq., Morley; Watkin Lees, Esq.,
Dukinfield ; Nathan Rees, Esq., Dukinfield; John Cheetham,
Esq., Stalezbridge ; Thomas Ashton, Esq., Hyde; Edmund
Ashworth, Esq., Bolton ; James Smith Buckley, Esq., Ashton;
Robert Buckley, Esq., Moseley; Abel B. Wimpanny, Esq.,
Dukinfield; Wm.- Peacock, Esq., Denton; George Horsfield,
Esq., Manchester; John Hyde, Esq., Dukinfield; Fred.
Rayner, Esq., Ashton Wm. Rawson, Esq.,_ Manchester
Samuel Aston, Esq., Hyde ; 'Abel Barkley, Esq., Ashton;
William Shuttleworth, Esq , Manchester; George Higgin-
bottom, E,q., Ashton; Ralph Kershaw and Alfred Rayner,
Esqrs., Ashton • Thos. Napo:), Esq., Ashton ; Richard
Christie, Esq., broylsden ; Richard Maley, Esq., and the
Rev. John Brooks, Hyde; Charles Bayley, Esq. Stales bridge.
CHARLES HINDLEY, Esq., M.P., took the Chair, by pre-
vious arrangement, and in opening the proceedings said—
Ladies and Gentlemen, we are met together to show our at-
tachment to the principles of free trade. It is now a year ago
since I had the honour to preside at a similar assembly ; and
when I look around me at the increased crowd which meets
in this room to-night, lam reminded of the assertion of the
Times, " that the Anti-Corn-law League is a great fact."—
(Laughter and applause.) I wish the editor were here, and
I would appeal to him, as far as my constituency is concerned,
to show him that we are a great fact.—( Applause.) I shall
not, on this occasion, enter into any argument whether free
trade be better, or whether it be worse ; I shall not enter
into argument on the corn-laws, because I believe the manly
letter of Mr. Rand, which has already been read to you, "is
sufficiently full of argument for every candid mind, and I
hope that letter will be printed and circulated by the Com-
mittee • and I would ask any of the working classes with
•whom I have any influence to consider well the bearing of
those arguments, and the effect the repeal of the corn-laws
would be likely to have upon the value of labour.--( Hear. )
E-pecially would I recommend to them to consider whether,
if it be acknowledged impossible to protect the value of
labour, it is or can be their interest that the property of the
rich landed proprietors should be protected. I congratulate
you upon the improved prospects of the question we are met
this night to support. We now hope, and I trust that we see
land---( Hear, hear)—or at least some of tke tokens that land
is not far distant. And to whom are we indebted for this im-
provement in our prospects ? Certainly one great instrument
in this change has been that great combination, the Anti-
Corn-law League.—(Loud cheers.) For years had my Hon.
Friend who sits on my right, Mr. Villiers, maintained—(Loud
cheers)—for years had my Hon. Friend supported, that cause
in Parliament.—( Renewed applause.) And often did he la-
ment to me that he thought the people were lukewarm upon
the subject, and that he had not the support out of doors which
the importance of the question entitled him to expect, and which
was calculated to make an impression upon the House of Com-
mons. It was reserved for Mr. Cobden and the Anti-Corn-
law League—( Loud cheers)—to produce that support which
Mr. Villiers needed ; and now, with the able and prudent con-
duct which Mr. Villiers has always shown in the House of
Commons, backed as he has and will be by my Hon. Friend on
the left (Mr. Cobden), and as they both will be, I trust, by
every earnest and zealous advocate of repeal in the House of
Commons, and by the League and the people out of doots, I
say success 'must be almost certain.—( Cheers. )
Colonel Thoatesos: was next introduced and addressed the
meeting in his usual quaint and argumentative style. In
speaking of the Essex meeting to counteract the League, when
50/. was subscribed, he said their opponents reminded them of
a band who sent a party against the Tower, and he sent his
ammunition in his stockings.—(Laughter.)
The Hon. C. P. VILLIERS then rose and was received with
several rounds of the most hearty cheering. After the applause
had subsided, the Hon. Gentleman said that having the honoar
of being a guest of their respected Member, he had readily
complied with a request that had been made to attend that
meeting, and he ha I now to thank them for the very friendly
and flattering reception on the occasion. When he saw the
extreme respectability of that_ meeting,. it, was gratifying to
him personally ; but if he tsar not presuming too much, he
, would venture to infer from it something satisfactory to the
eiuse.—( Hear.) He had no title to their favour unless it
were from the course he had taken in the House of Commons
upon the question on which they were then assembled. 'I here
he had invariably denounced the law they were considering as
unjust in principle as well as injurious in operation—( Hear,
hear)—and he had never either for personal or even for party
considerations wavered in the slightest degree in the advocacy
of this question in that view.—(Cheers). He ventured
therefore, to construe their courtesy on the present occasion to
an approval of that course, and consequently to conclude that
there was among them a strong and a decided feeling u:-on
the question.—(Cheers.) He could assure them, that to one
who had known this cause in its adversity, and who believed
that its success was near to the well-being of the whole
community, and perhaps, nearer to a remedy for those many
ills ffem which the people were suffering than any other—these- •
signs of prowess were truly gratifying-7( Hear, hear)—and he
-then& that any person who was in' the habit of watching
what occurred in this country, Would coil Jude that a question
which had been so long before the public, and had been re-
sisted with so much influence and vehemence, and with such
advantages as this question had been, and yet gained ground,
and was each day gathering fresh strength from every quarter,
must have some great intrinsic merit of its own on which to
rest. —( Hear, hear.) It had, indeed, stood the test of that
which many a cause which had beers agitated in this country
had failed to do—he meant the scrutiny and cautious view of
the men of sense, and of the men of business and practical cha-
racter of this country. They were generally Conservative in
the right sense, and apt to be alarmed when the mind of the
public was agitated, but it was precisely from that quarter that
there was now accession of strength, and it was openly admitted
by them, not only that the cause itself was just, but that the
agitation was necessary,—(Cheers.) That great organ of
public events and public opinion, the Times newspaper, had
proclaimed the reason why they justified this agitation ; it was
that every form of remonstrance to the Legislature had been
unheeded • that motions had been rejected ; that applications
of all kinds had been disregarded ; that their patience be-
came exhausted, and they became parties to this outward
agitation.—( Hear, hear.) He was glad to see that. that spirit
which had once animated the commercial classes of this country,
and which, by history we learn, did in time past such service,
yet existed, and was about to be revived; nay, that it had
blazed forth already in this county. He was always sure that
this would happen, for the people of this country were net ser-
vile—they did not submit to wrong when they knew it was so.
—(Cheers.) They might be patient and prudent, and it was
to their praise that they were so; but let them know what was
right—let them feel that they had a duty to perform, and they
would never turn until they had triumphed.—(Cheers.) He
remembered some few years since, when he was on the Conti-
nent, conversing with a distinguished traveller who had re-
cently returned from this country, and discussing the subject
of these corn-laws, he expressed his opinion that the prospect
of their repeal was distant, and, said he, he had observed that
not only were the aristocracy in this country more united upon
this matter tkan upon any other—not only did they derive
all the influence which Parliament and station could give
them, but such had been the habit of their domination that
they seemed to have subdued the spirit of every ether class—
(Hear, hear)—and he (Mr. Villiers) owned, at the time, he
had not felt altogether prepared to dispute that view ; for he
felt that those parties in this country who, though not of
the nobility, were yet connected with all that made England
great, had not vindicated their own interests with that spirit
which it would have been to their honour that they should have
done. If, however, he had felt that as a reproach, then he
would certainly turn with pride now, and turn the stranger's
attention to what was at present passing in this country—( Hear,
hear)—with pride he could point to the imposing attitude which
the industrious and commercial classes were now assuming—
to the spirit,..and intelligence, and determination they were
'bringing to this arduous struggle, and the time, and the toil,
and the money they were sacrificing for its success.—(Loud
cheering.) He liked to see it as a man hating to see oppression
unresisted—as hating to see man trampled upon and not turn
—as hating to see the idle, the selfish, and the ignorant in the
ascendant, wasting the resources of art and industry.—(lm-
mense cheering.) He did not mean by the expression of that
sentiment to raise the question there of the principle of an
aristocracy, He was aware that there were members of our
aristocracy who were both able-minded and kind-hearted
men, and valuable members of society. He had no prejudice,
certainly, against the order ; but he knew of no tie which
should bind a man to. the errors and follies of any class ; and
these were as conspicuous in the system which they were
maintaining, as that which was the subject of a graver
charge.—( Hear.) And if that were so, he could not divest
himself of that feeling which belonged to every one wishing to
see the community to which he belonged thrive, rat:-,er than
decay, and the' people 'prospering, rather than withering, as
they were now.—(Cheers.) He was, therefore, happy to see
this demonstration against a wrong, which was admitted to be
so wherever England's condition was discussed and wherever
England's name was known.—( Cheers.) He was glad to see
all party distinctions vanish before this great public object, and
he turned with admiration, and almost gratitude, to those dis-
tinguished men whom they had sent from this county, whose
untiring energies and powers of mind were knitting together
the different parts of this country in a common sense of wrong
and of hatred to these laws ; and though the charge was made
against them that they by their addresses were setting class
against class, from the enemy, the answer to that was that the
law itself had provoked the attack.—(Hear.) There was no
mere justice in that charge than there was against any man who
sought redress because he was injured ; and it reminded him of
the story that was told of a criminal in Newgate, who complained
of the discourse of the chaplain of the prison, who on one oc-
casion had taken the eighth commandment for his text, and
preached against stealing. The criminal remarked that it was
in the worst possible taste, and calculated to produce unplea-
sant feelings in his condition.—( Hear, hear, and laughter.)
He had no doubt this agitation did produce unpleasant feel-
ings, and, what was perhaps more inconvenient to them, it
prevented a settlement and dealing with their property.—
(Hear, bear.) Bet if they did suffer this inconvenience, he
thought the country would survive it, if the Anti-Corn-law
League succeeded in their object, and he thought it would only
be ajust retribution upon those men who possessed that great