The Sun.
London, England, 1842-08-24 00:00:00

DISTRESS OF THE COUNTRY.
GRF:AT MEETING AT WHITE CONDUIT-

HOUSE.

A Public Meeting was held last night at the White-
Conduit House Tavern, for the purpose of taking into
consideration the state of the country. and the mea-
sures necessary to be adopted to alleviate the distress
. of the people.
The meeting was called for six o'clock, and at that
hour the doors were surrounded by persons, mostly in
labourers' attire, eager to obtain admission to the large
room where the meeting was to be held; an attempt was
made, however, to keep out these people on the ground
that this was a meeting of the lectors of Finsbury,
and not a Chartist meeting, Mr. Rouse, the proprietor
of the house, having positively refused, when the room
was hired, to allow it to be used at all, if it were in-
tended to turn the meeting into a Chartist demonstra-
tion. We imagine that the attempt to keep out the
honest non-electors was unsuccessful, as we found by
half-past six that the large room, which is capable of
holding, on a moderate calculation. 2,000-people, was
crowded to excess; and though we observed great
numbers of the most respectable inhabitants of 'Fins-
bury present, there were many there, who, from
their appearance, evidently advocated the " six
points." The room was lighted with gas, and imme-
diately behind the Chair, affixed against the wall,
were papers with the inscription, " Peace, Law, and
Order," in large letters. The orchestral gallery was
filled with respectably attired females, and there were
several. ladies alsO upon the platform.
- Shortly before seven o'clock T. Duncombe,' Esq.,
M.P., F. O'Connor,. Esq.,- R. Duncombe, Esq., G.
Rogers, Esq., Mr. Hetherington, Mr. Nicholson, and
a e4at- many other. gentlemen, entereEdtr, the plat-
form amidst the most deafening cheers. ' G. Rogers,
Esq., was then moved to the chair.
'The CHAIRMAN having: mounted the table' cern-
menced amidst loud cheers. These are critical thws,
and we must mind what we are about. That (point-
ing to the words " Peace, Law, and Order") is our
banner, and under that we shall conquer. It was
necessary to convene the meeting regularly, and re-
gularity required that he should tell how the meeting
had been convened. 'They had been left without a
proper officer in this borough, so they had no means
of calling a meeting except bythe 'electors themselves ;
and in order. to leave no pretence for saying that this
was an illegal meeting, the electors had had recourse
to the mode pointed out by. the Act of Parliament.
(The Chairman then proceeded to read the requisition
Convening 'the meeting. It"was couched in the usual
terms, and was signed by 25 electors.) He (the
Chairman) had also taken the liberty of sending a
copy of the requisition to Sir J. Graham, which he
accompanied with the following note :
" Sir,—That there may be no pretence for a repetition
thir.l evening of the police follies, not to say outrages,
which have taken place during the list few days, I brg
leave to present you with a list of the conveners of the
Finsbury ineetins, and I remain, Sir,
" I our very obedient humble servant,
" S. ROGERS.
"To Sir J. Graham, Bart., M.P., &c. &c."
He had received no answer to that little note, so he
presumed there no was objection to this meeting, and
that this was to every intent and purpose legal—
even in the estimation of the distinguished and sensi-
tive Baronet.—(Loud cheers.) It became them, then,
now to consider how they were best to exercise
that poWer!'which they as •aleetOrs possessed, for the
benefit of those who had no such privilege.--(Loud
cheerS.) There might be shades of opinion as to the
degree to which the suffrage ought to be extended,
but there could be no difference in the opinion that as
Englishmen, they ought to see that right and justice
was done to the loWest man of the community, and
that an injury
done to any man in the community
ought to be felt all through the body politic as a
blow struck at every one.—(Loud cheers, and cries
of "Adjourn," which became so loud as to render
the Chairman's remarks inaudible.) He concluded
by saying, that though there were many present who
were not electors, he could not allow any one to ad-
dress the meeting except he were an elector.
Mr. Mooan read a letter from Mr. IVakley, ex-
pressive of his deep sorrow that ho still laboured
upder the severe indisposition which:compelled. him,
to remain absent from the House of. Commons during
the last six Weeks, and that he should be precluded
thereby from being present at this meeting. At the
same time, he begged to assure the meeting that he
united with them in desiring immediate legislative
reform in the House of Commons, and it was his
firm conviction, that unless such an organic change
was speedily effected by law, the best interests of the
country would be involved in confusion and ruin.
Class legislation had been the curse of millions.—
(Cheers fblkmed the reading of this.letter.)
Mr. JAMES SAVAGE rose, amidst cries of " Ad-
journ, adjourn," to move the first resolution, which
was as follows :—" That, this meeting. learns with
sorrow anddismay, that nearly the whole of the:manu-
facturing population have foregone their own indus-
trial'ocCupatiOns ; that the dittbirraint of thelkople
has in some places btoken into open violence,. 'that
encounters have ,taken place.' accompanied with loss
of life ; and that in fact civil war-is raging over so
large.a'part of Great Britain, as threatens effectually
to destroy the security of property in every part of
the kingdom."
The whole Of this gentlernan's observations were
rendered quite inaudible by the cries from the multi-
tude at the farther end of the room to adjourn.
The CHAIRMAN said that the Committee had con-
sidered the question of adjournment, in case it should
be broached, and that they had come to the conclu-
sion that it would be best to retain the integrity of
the meeting, by remaining where they were. He
to hear the resolutions in
that room, however oppressive the heat might be, and
tt trusted sptaesda theyth eoiofultd n
h ecyo
approved
them.—(Silence was
restored for a moment, but the cries for adjournment
became again so Glamourous, that it was found neces-
sary to consent to the wishes of by far the greater
part of those assembled, and the meeting adjourned
to the large area between the house and the pleasure-
grounds ; this immense space, which is calculated to
hold between 7,000 and 8,000 persons, and we think
the calculation is not exaggerated, was immediately
filled. Notwithstanding the -immense numbers pre-
sent, the adjournment was effected in a most peace-
able and erderly. manner.
Mr. WALKER then rose to second the resolution.
This was a -most glorious meeting.—(Cheers.) No
man could look on an assembly so immense as this
conducting itself so well as this, and admit that it was
not a sufficient answer to the statement which had
been made that the people could not meet in an or-
derly manner. Every man present acted as a police-
man to himself—a gentle one—(Loud cheers)—and
if every man kept himself in order, there would be
no disturbance of' the peace.-,
(Cheers.) Order was
Heaven's first law, and if they departed from order
they departed from one great principle which ought
to accompany all their proceedings. It was a beauti-
ful sight to behold a body of from 10,000 to 20,000
people assembled to sympathise with their ma-
nufacturing brethren. It was not for. him to
trace the evils which had caused the distress, the mode
of alleviating which they were now called on to con-
sider, to particular sources. He would sum them up
in the general remark, that the people at large, not
having control over the Legislature, were placed
through that cause in their present unfortunate con-
dition.—(Loud cheers.) The object of nearly all the
'public political meetings which had bean held during
the last ten years, had been for the purpose of advo-
cating an extension of the representation ; and that
they—
of the people should
advocated now.--
(Loud
Parliament which
represent the people, and to that 'end it was only
necessary that the people should exercise their ancient
constitutional privileges.—(Cheers.) Let them use,
then, firm but respectful language, advocate the
principle which would. extend- their rights'; 'and he
was glad to say that they had a principle on which
they might safely rest=he meant the principle of
the Charter.—(Loud cheers.) At . the same time
that he said that, he would add, that he, apprOved of
the exertions of the Anti-Corn-law- League —(Loud
.cheers.) Ile was in favour of that which would con-
duce to the benefit of the country.—(Renewed
cheers.) Now came the question as to the means of
obtaining • their object. They-must obtain it in the
same way as they obtained the Reform Bill. And how
was that gained ? By meeting and continuing to
meet ; by petitioning and continuing to petition, and
to discuss, and that was the course they mat 'pursue
now.—(Loud cheers.) An attempt had been made.
to put down public discussions—such a thing was
impossible. An Englishman always sympathised
with a fellow-creature in distress, and evil indeed
would be that day when the expression—aye, and the
practical expression
,of that spmpathy was not per-
mitted.—(Loud cheers.) He concluded by expressing
his hearty concurrence With everything contained in
the resolution which he had the great pleasure and
honour of seconding.—(Loud cheers.)
•The resolution -was :,then 'Carried anaidst immense
applause.
Mr. WATSON moved the following resolution :
" That without pretending to judge accurately of the
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