The Sun.
London, England, 1845-11-15 00:00:00

FREE TRADE BANQUET.
DIY NER AT BIRMINGHA3I TO THE HON C. P.
VILLIERS, M.P.

BIRMINGHAM, THURSDAY NIGHT.—This evening the long
announced public dinner to the Hon. C. P. Villiers, Member '
for Wolverhampton, and the leader of the Anti-Corn-law •
party, took place in the Town-hall, andwas most numerously •
and brilliantly attended. It is calculated that between 700
and 800 gentlemen of all shades of political opinion sat down
to dinner.
The chair was occupied by Mr. W. H. Smith, the newly-
elected Mayer of the borough, having on his right Mr.
Villiers, the guest of the evening, Mr. Scott, M.P., Mr.
Bright, M.P., Mr. G. Fox, Colonel Thompson, Mr. Craw-
shay, Alderman James, Alderman Beale, Alderman Van
Wart, Mr. Clark, Mr. Beilby, Mr. Bolton, Mr. Blake,
of the firm of Bolton and Watt, of the Soho Works; and
on his left, Earl Ducie, Mr. Cobden, M.P. ; Mr. William
Brown, late candidate for the southern division of Lan-
enshire ; Mr. Thornely, M.P. ; the Lew Bailiff of Birmingham ;
the Rev. Mr. Bache, Unitarian minister; Alderman P. H.
Muntz, Alderman Room, Alderman Weston, and Alderman
Scholefield, Mr. Lucas Chance, of the Sporlane Works, Mr.
Geach, and other gentlemen of influence and station residing
in the town and neighbourhood. Mr. Alderman Phillips,
the late Mayor, occupied the vice-chair. The principal
gallery was filled with a numerous assembly of ladies. The
arrangements throughout were most admirable, and reflected
great credit upon the managing committee.
After Non Nobis, Domine had been sung by the profes-
sional gentlemen in the organ gallery,
The CHAIRMAN said, now he was about to commence the
discharge of the duties of the honourable situation in which
he was placed, he could assure them most unaffectedly he
felt in the deepest degree the onerous character of those
duties. But he assured them that he would endeavour to
discharge them to the best of the abilities which he pos-
sessed, and the powers at his command. His first duty was
to congratulate them upon the highly honourable assem-
blage of guests congregated that day.—(Cheers.) His second
duty was to announce to the meeting the names of gentle-
men highly and equally honourable, who, but for circum-
stances not - anticipated, would have been present on that
occasion. He would not read letters, but he might mention
that amongst other communications he had one from Lord
Radnor, who, on the score of old age, extremely regretted his
inability to attend. His Lordship, however, felt the deepest
interest in the meeting, not only on account of the compli-
ment intended to their honoured guest, but also because •
he felt a deep interest in the success of the sacred cause
they were assembled to promote. He (the Chairman)
had also to regret the absence of not one only, but both of
the Members for the borough of Manchester, but he
was commissioned by his friend, Mr. Mark Philips, to say the
present was the wedding-day of his only brother—that was
his apology for absence. The same reason kept away Mr.
Robert IL Greig, who, as brother-in-law of Mr. Philips,
was detained by same happy event. He t the Chairman)
had hoped for the attendance of one or both of their own
borough Members, but he was disappointed. He should
have been happy to see Mr. Mintz in the hall that evening;
he should have been happier still to have seen their friend
Mr. Spooner—(Laughter)—for differing, as many of them
did, from the political opinions of that Hon. Gentleman, they
all aaltnowledged his worth and respectability.—(Hear.)
He was authorised to state that Mr. Muntz would have been
present, but it so happened that he had an engagement with
Prince Albert at Windsor that day; and their Hon. Mem-
ber also assured him that he would, upon every occasion
when the question was brought before the House
of Commons, vote for the repeal of the corn-laws.—(Loud
cheers.) He (the Chairman) had also hoped to have seen
that evening Mr. Ricardo, the Member for Stoke, and Mr.
M. Gibson, the Member for Manchester. Both gentlemen had
pronused their attendance, and as trains were arriving hourly,
probably they might during the night have the pleasure of
their company. He begged it to be understood, that
this was rot a political or party meeting, but strictly a
social one—(Hear)—intended as a compliment to the Hon.
Member who had conferred such invaluable assistance on the
Cause of free trade.—(Cheers.) The Hon. Gentleman, after
calling upon the company to assist him in the maintenance
of order, and in a few words passing a high eulogium upon
her Majesty, called upon the company to fill a bumper to the
health of The Queen."
The toast was drunk with great enthusiasm.
The healths of " Prince Albert," " The Prince of Wales,"
and " The Queen Dowager," succeeded, and were drunk with
the customary honours, as was the toast of " The Army and
Navy."
The CHAIRMAN said, he was about to propose to them the
health of their honoured guest, Mr. Villiers, who had done
them thehonour of accepting their hospitality on that occa-
sion.—(Lond cheers.) In performing this part of his duty, he
was sure he would not for one moment insult Mr. Villiers, or
disgrace himself, by addressing to that gentleman undue flat-
tery and vain compliment. But it was due to the meeting that
he (the Chairman should state why it was that they had in-
vited the lion. Gentleman to visit Birmingham that day. It
was Simply this,—because he was the advocate of public
principles in which they all concurred, and was a man whom
they all admired. But he might be asked what those prin-
cieles were? He would answer in two words—the principles
'of commercial freedom—the rights of labour, the rights of
property, and, in connexion and dependence upon them, the
advancement of the happiness and welfare of the entire so-
cial race.—(Cheers.) The Hon. Gentleman, after some fur-
ther complimentary observations. concluded by proposing
• 'The health of the Hon. Charles Pelham Villiers, their distin-
guished guest."—(Loud cheers, repeated three times three.)
Mr. COBDEN begged to act as fugleman. Let them give
three-times-three Birmingham cheers, such as should be
neard at Tamworth. The Hon. Member's suggestion was
adopted with hearty responses.
Mr. VILLIERS said he was sure that the meeting would
readily believe that he could not rise without great em-
oarrassment duly to acknowledge the peculiar honour which
had been done him that evening. When he considered the
flattering circumstances under which he was their guest, and
the friendly manner in which they had received the
sentiment with which the Chairman had accompanied
the proposal of his health, he (Mr. Villiers) honestly
declared that he felt great difficulty in conveying adequately
to them his sense of the condescension and consideration with
which they had honoured him. He could hardly consider
himself entitled to so much condescension; there were men
at their board that evening who were possessed of more
talents than himself, and who, he was sure, had done more
service to the great cause for the advancement of which they
were met there that evening than he had been able to do; in
fact, he only differed from those men in having had a seat
in the House of Commons longer than they, but he believed
they would bear him out in saying that when they came
into the House of Commons they did not find that he
had been idle, but that he had been and was at the time
toiling on, as he had been for a long time, with difficulties
greater than any which they had had to encounter. Since
lie (Mr. Villiers) had been honoured with a seat in the
House of Commons by the favourable sense which was en-
tertained of him by a great body of constituents in the
neighbourhood, he had endeavonred to do his duty—(hear)
—and he would say, that his apprehension of his duty was
never to prefer his individual interests, or the interests of a
class, to these of the public, and he had it not on his con•
science that in any one single instance had he preferred the
advantage of himself to what he considered his duty to the
public ; and he could only say that if the course he had taken
in public life had met their approbation, and if that which he
had done in his efforts to support the cause which they
were met that evening to celebrate could be construed to
be a public service, their approbation of that course gave
him. they might rely upon it, the highest reward for what
he had done, and the highest encouragement to persevere
in the course that he had hitherto pursued.--(Hear,
hear.) They knew how the House of Commons was
coestituted and the feelings of that body on this matter,
and the way in which they were identified with this law,
and that those whose hostility to that law was dispalyed
there acted at the greatest disadvantage; but he could an-
swer, he thought, for the distinguished men who were pre-
sent on this occasion ; and he could answer for himself, that
the one consideration which had cheered them on more
than another had been, that sooner or later the intelli-
gent portion of the community would appreciate their
endeavours. Ile accepted this meeting as a sign of the
prtenlese of the cause, and a most gratifying verification
of . what they had all along been expecting. If they
eoineided with him and his friends around him on this
great question, it, was most important that they should not
underrate the importance of their declaring themselves
distinctly without loss of time. Why they who sat in that
Melee had had the most conclusive proofs that their
opponents, the supporters of the corn-laws, had found at
ieeeth that they were wrong, and they felt that, being
wrong, the evidence was pressed upon them by their
own Ministers, anti by the circumstances of the country,
et+ i• h they could not dispute, that they could not any longer
maintain the corn-laws consistently with the interests of the
community. l'ea one thing they did not. know. ; they seemed
ignorant of the opinion of the people; they appeared to want
some sign of the opinions really entertained by the intelli-
gent portion of the public; they seemed to think that if the
people chose to keep silence the public therefore coincided
with thorn in opinion, or were undecided at leftist with re-
gard to the operation of the law. He did not' believe that the
aristocracy of this country were better than any other men ;
but lie thought them much like other men—(Hear, hear)
—and that if any of them helped themselves to anything
which they had not a right to, but which they thought
worth keeping, why they were very loath to give up. They
were like other great bodies that the meeting knew of; they
would not move till the steam was up. It was not a gentle
force that would stir them. Sir James Graham had said
some time ago—and it was one of the things which he had
not unsaid since—that the aristocracy, if they opposed public
opinion, were totally without power. (Laughter, and
cheers.) That was undoubtedly true. What, then, was it
which stood between the advocates of corn-law repeal and
that result? He answered, the want of some clear, intel-
ligible, unmistakeable expression of opinion.—(Hear, hear.)
lid thottela. it most gratifying to see this manifestation of
i opinion n this great town—a inanwestatuni winter nesrucusat
upon and accepted, not as made in favour of a person or a
parts- lutof a great principle.—(Loud cheers.) He believed
that if the commerce of this country continued restricted,
as it was at present, the people might as well be with-
out a great part of the liberty ' they possessed.—
(lieer.) They bad acquired the power of thinking what
they pleased—of praying how they pleased —of saying what
they pleased—and the result had been, that the people
hen become the greater. and the circumstances of the country
the better for it. The people, in consequence, have grown
more intelligent, more peaceful, more enterprizing, more ac-
tive than any other nation, and it was precisely for that reason
thet commercial restraint was such a fetter to them , for
what was it to a man to be possessed of more intelligence
or more skill than his fellows if he were restrained from dis-
poenAg of it to the beat advantage—if the comforts of life
were beyond his reach ? He asked if that was not the con-
dition of millions of their fellow-countrymen? He asked,
also, if destitution was not what all who heard him were ex-
pecting to fall upon those millions every hour? Then did
any man believe that Providence had brought about that re-
sult ? - No. It was the result of human legislation,
it was the direct consequence of the law which they were that
evening met to assail—a consequence which had been foreseen,
and of which the Govenment had been warned over and over
again. By the laws which they enacted, the Government drove
a large portion of their people to the most inferior kinds
of food, and then, if any of those visitations arrived which
might be expected to occur, they were reduced to des-
stitution. That was the consequence of making &cid difficult to
be obtained. It was passing laws for bringing about destitu-
tion. fie said, that no man who had been a party to such
legislation had any right to talk about the visitation of Pro-
. vidence. He had lately seen that Lord John Russell had
• expressed himselfwitli great eloquence onthe constitution of this
• -cournev, when addressing lately the citizens of Edinburgh,
and to much that the Noble Lord said in praising this
• country .every reasonable man would assent ; but he (Mr.
.V.iilisesey said that every man would deny throughout
Viirope that the corn-law in this country operated against
[the- power of the Government. They might point to a
despotism, and make comparisons between this country and
•it unfavourable to the latter, but where did they see a
despotisni in which there was anything to exceed the prace
• tical injustice of the law which was passed to make the
wealthiest aristocracy in Europe' still wealthier by means
-which exposed millions to want.—(Loud .cheers.) They
ew that the substitution of the sliding scale was asserted
re:have 'sprung from aeJeeire that food might be abundant
in this country, and that we Freight .ipdpendent of foe.
reignese. Nov Wa4 the monied to' observe- tlie 'Operation of