The Sun.
London, England, 1845-02-04 00:00:00

TEA PARTY AT WHITE CONDUIT

HOUSE.

SOIREE IN HONOUR OF THOMAS SLINGSBY
DUNCOMBE, EsQ., M.P. FOR FINSBURY.
A soiree of the friends, admirers, aed constituents of
Thomas Slingsby Duncombe, Esq., was yesterday held
in the White Conduit House, for the purpose of honour-
ing that gentleman fur his unflinching advocacy of the
rights of the people.
The room was crowded to excess, not less than 500
having sat down to tea; and when the worthy representa-
tive of Finsbury entered the room, the cheering was of
the most enthusiastic description.
Dr. Wade having been called to the chair, was sup-
ported right and left by Feargus O'Connor, Esq., J.
Duncombe, Esq., solicitor, Mr. J. Roberts, Esq., Roger
O'Connor, Esq., &c. T. S. Duncombe, Esq., sat on
his left.
Letters of apology were read from Col. Thompson,
Mr. Patteson, M.P., Mr. W. S. Crawford, M.P., and
Mr. T. Wakley, M.P.
The CHAIRMAN, in rising to give the first sentiment,
" The people, and may they speedily obtain their just
rights," said that his sympathies had ever been with
the people, and he had always been most anxious to see
the fullest emancipation of labour—(Hear, hear)—and
he hoped that at the first favourable opportunity the
labouring clssses would adopt the advice of Sir Robert
Peel and take their affairs into their own hands, but to
do so required union and a proper system of organisa-
tion.—(Cheers.) He felt proud at the position he oc-
cupied that evening, as the meeting was, properly
speaking, one called by the borough of Finsbury
to do honour to their Member for his patriotic and un-
paralleled exertions in the House of Commons, which
not only commanded the gratitude of his own consti-
tuents, but the admiration of Great Britain and Ireland.
In returning to Parliament that honest, eloquent,
talented, and indefatigable person, his constituents had
entitled themselves to the thanks of all their fellow-
countrymen.—(Hear, hear.) He was happy to under-
stand that the trades of Great Britain had again deter-
mined to unite, and it was assuredly just that they should
do o; for if the employers might combine to depres4 the
price of labour, surely they had an equal right to com-
bine for the purpose of defending themselves.—(Hear,
hear, and cheers.) The object of the meeting was to do
honour to the representative who had acted so honest,
so proud, and so prominent a part in a corrupt Parlia-
ment; who had united the spirit of the Christian and
the philanthrophy of the philosopher, with the purest
principle of the patriot. The same principle actuated
him as in days gone by; actuated those who gave eman-
cipation to America from the thraldom of Great Britain,
and those who reseued Switzerland from the grasp of
the Bavarian despot.—(lmmense cheering.) It was the
principle which rendered a people great, happy, and
prosperous, and it only could eventually make England
great, glorious, and free.—!Great cheering.)
Mr. CLARKE seconded the sentiment.
Mr. R. ;MORE next proposed " Thomas Slingsby
Duncombe, Esq.. the faithful representative of the in-
' dustrious millions in the House of Commons." Nothing
but a sense of the obligations they all owed to their ex-
cellent representative could have induced him to take a
personal share in the business of that evening. Thomas
Slingsby Duncombe was indeed the representative of the
people, and not merely of the Finsbury 101. householder-.
—(Cheers.) It would occupy too much of their tine( were
he to advert, however briefly, to the eminent services
done to the people by Mr. Duncombe. The speaker,
after eulogising the conduct and principles of the Hon.
Member for Finsbury, concluded by prophesying that in
the forthcoming session of Parliament the Hon. Gentle-
man would persevere in the course which had already
so distinguish, d him, and at the end of the session again
meet his constituen a to receive their gratitude and con-
gratulations.
Mr. DtrecomnE then rose, and was received with the
most enthusiastic applause, which continued for many
minutes. At length silence being obtained, he said—
Mr. Chairman, Ladies, and Gentlemen—l can assure
you that the pleasure I feel—the gratification that I have
in meeting you this evening, is not altogether of an un-
mixed character, for I consider with regret that so many
of you should have come here—that you should have left
your warm firesides and comfortable homes merely for
the purpose of paying a compliment to so humble an in-
dividual as myself, that you should so distinguish me far
beyond the merits I possess, or the services that I have
performed, and yet I hope that I have done my duty—
for at best it is but such—as the independent representa-
tive of an independent constituency.—(Cries of " You
have," and much cheering.) I rejoice to find that my con-
duct and Parliamentary career meetwith your approbation,
and that from others present, and not connected with the
borough of Finshury—a large portion of my fellow-
countrymen—l should receive similar encouragement.
Gentlemen, Parliament is to meet to-morrow, but I
should mislead you if I said that next session will en-
title itself any more than the last to the gratitude of the
people, or to any part of the toiling millions of the
country.—(Hear, hear.)—You well know the vagaries—
the pranks that were played last session. You well re-
collect our votes—for being one of that House, I say our
votes—upon the Sugar Duties Bill. You recollect our
votes on the Factories' Bill. You well recollect that on
its being proposed that sugar might be admitted a little
cheaper, it was but a little, but still the movement was
in the right direction—(Hear, hear)—when the Govern-
ment came down and told us that if we did so vete
fur a reduced duty, the country would cease to be
governed by a Tory Administration.—(Hear, hear.)—
What did the Tories in the House? Why, they pre-
ferred a Tory Administration to cheap sugar for the
people of England, and they then rescinded their votes.
—(Hear, hear.) You recollect the tergiversation which
took place with regard to the Factory Bill. One evening
we voted that ten hours' labour was sufficient for the
women, the daughters, and the children of the men of
England.—(Cheers.) On another evening we carried
that by a small majority; but on a succeeding one comes
down Sir Robert Peel, and says, "Ifyou don't make the
women. the daughters, and the children work the twelve
hours, the country ceases to be governed by a Tory
Administration." Well, our votes were rescinded, and
vet to the Members who doomed them to work for twelve
hours in their dangerous vocation they pay dearly--(The
sentence was lost amid the tremendous cheering.) These
questions will not, of course, come again before the House
(luring the present se :sion. They are disposed of, and
if any one were to attempt to introduce them,
Ministers would easily get their supporters to• rescind
even their pledged votes on the Very next day.—(Hear.)
If such a measure is proposed again, I will be no party to
it. I will not again be fooled by Lord Ashley, or by any
other Member.—(Cheers.) I will not be induced
to vote one day for an Eight Hours' Bill, and on a second
day for a Ten Hours' Bill, and then, after all, find Sir R.
Peel come down and command the House to turnabout and
wheel about just at his pleasure.—(Great cheering.)
It is monstrous. It is insulting to the common sense of
he country to call this conduct representation. • I flatter
myself that I represent the common sense of the country
--(Cheers)—for I hope I represent the sentiments of the
people.—(Continued cheering.) I have said that Parlia-
ment opens to-morrow. The business begins at five
o'olock; the Speaker comes in and tells us that he
attended at the House of Lords, where her
Majesty made her gracious speech, and where
he had the good fortune to obtain a correct copy of it.
—(Laughter.) Then we, of course, congratulate him on
his possession of so c srrect a copy, and then he reads it,
and then again two men in answer jump up, and one
moves and the other seconds an address to her Majesty.
—(Continued laughter.) Have you ever read an ad-
dress ? If you have, you will certainly never read a
second.—(Laughter.) You may be sure the address is
a mere echo of the speech, and what is it ? Why, this.
Her Majesty congratulates herself and the country on
the daily assurances of good feeling and continued amity
expressed by all the fcreign Powers, and so on ; but
how much more consolatory and satisfactory it would be,
could she tell us, that from one end of her own kingdom
to the other, contentment and happiness prevailed among
her people. I hope it has not been represented to her,
(luring. her late visits among tha aristocracy, that the
magnificence of Burleigh and the grandeur of Stowe is a
guide to the real condition of the country ?—(Cheers.)
Let her go to Sheffield, to Derby, to Nottingham,
to Leicester. Let her view men with wives and families
working for 4s. a week, aye, and working, too, for four-
teen or sixteen hours a day.—(Hear, hear.) Let them
not talk of the prosperity and happiness of a country
where such misery as this is found—(Cheers)—and
where filth and discontent as surely accompany it. Let
her go among the miners of the north—let her go
among the ill used colliers, who, if they consent not to
be blown up by fifties and by hundreds; who, if they
ask but for a proper, a good ventilation, in order to work
with safety underground, are told that they are mis-
guided men—that they belong to a union of working
men—and that they are so prejudiced that they cannot
see things properly or fairly ; she would indeed find a
vast difference there from what she saw in the aspect
of Strathfieldsaye and of Stowe, where she had been
met, I dare say, with an obsequious tenantry and a
body of yeomanry, and the farmers of the counties. But
there are other matters that will be introduced—some-
thing, probably, in connexion with the property and
income-tax. The Premier has told you that he
has got a surplus revenue. How is he to dispose of it ?
We, in London, want him to take off the window-tax ;
the farmer wants him to reduce the malt-tax ; and the
manufacturer prays him to take the duty off the raw
material. I cannot see how it is possible for him to
escape from this difficulty. It is not our business, how-
ever, to settle it for him.—(Laughter.) If he asks us
how we should do it, we shall say to him es he did to
the Whigs, " Call us in and we will show you how
we do it.—(Continued laughter.) Let him call me, and I
will show him how I will do it.—(Cheers.) I will call
on the people—(Prolonged cheers)—consult the indi-
vidual industry of the country. I will say, " Meet
them fairly ; let them be represented ; and then
they will tell you how the revenue of the country can be
improved and maintained.—(lmmense cheering.) They
have as much respect for the rights of property as you
have ; and, having that respect for its rights, they will
still maintain them. But with respect to the income-
tax ; if none of the other taxes be taken off,
I trust at least that some alteration may be made in it.
regard to the articles of general consumption with
the h,- no increase of duty can be added to them.
Indirect tr. ems has received its death-blow in this
country, and '-faxes must be directed against the
realised property Le the country.—(Cheers.) Yes, all
taxes on trades and eofessions must be considered
final, and be in future rect-ed from realised and funded
property.—(Great cheering. There will no doubt be
some allusion made to the ecasiastical courts of the
country, and no doubt another 'empt will be made to
bolster them up. Last year such a.. attempt was made,
and Government, in supporting them, 'nosed themselves
to contempt and infamy. These cows owed their
origin solely to the dark ages, and are ona,aontinued to
this day to suit the purposes of the House of 'lscereees.
They are a reproach to the country, an abomination =u.
the eyes of men, and an iniquity in the sight of Heaven.
Their whole business ought at ozac to be tram,A2Tcj
to the civil courts, where decisions are founded on equity,