The Sun.
London, England, 1842-02-11 00:00:00

those who would tyrannize over them would be forced to let th
nins of power drop from their hands.—(Cheers.)
The Cu►IRM►N here intimated that a circular had been issued by

the Executive Committee, inviting all the Members of Parliament
and all the clergy of this city to attend a meeting of this Conference

on Saturday next, at 11 o'clock, at the Crown and Anchor Tavern,
when every facility would be afforded for inquiry and counsel.
The Chairman also stated that he had just learned that Mr. Villiers

had again this evening, given notice in'the House of Commons, that
he would move for the total repeal of the Corn-laws. He regretted

also to say, that Lord J. Russell had contented himself with giving
notice of a motion to the effect that any alteration in the Corn-law
by a depression of the sliding scale was inadvisable.
Mr. BUCK MASTER, of Buckinghamshire, next addressed the Con.
ference. Fie said he felt great pleasure in presenting himself as
' . .

the representative of a large ajrienltural district.—(Hear, hear.)
He thought the agricultural bearing of the question had been over.
looked in some measure. He had personal cognizance of the fact,
that in the county of Buckingham—that county which was to be
especially protected by the sliding scale—there was fully as much
distress as in the manufacturing districts. There was as much real
suffering experienced by the labourers in Buckinghamshire at the
present moment as in the manufacturing towns of the North of
England. Its that county the farmers were getting bankrupt,
and the same state of things that existed its the years 1334 and
and 1835 was again be experieneed.—(dear, hear.) He
was stopping in Buckinghamshire, and was written to from
Uxbridge to endeavour to get as many petitions as possible for a
repeal of the Corn-laws, in one parish in Buckinghamshire. Ile
had the notice on the Wednesday, and by the Friday he had a
petition signed by upwards of two hundred, for repeal. The wages
of the labourers in Buckinghamshire never increased anything
like the increased price of food. It was out of the power of the
farmer to regulate the wages of the labourer. The manufacturer,
with the farmer, can no more regulate the wages of the labourer,
than they can regulate the motion of the sun ; it was quite out of

their power, and acted on different causes. In 1834 and 1835,
the labourers of Buckinghamshire had, on an average, Ss. a week ;
two hundred were working at 6s. a week, able-bodied men, having
wives and large families ; none had more than 9s. 6d. ; and could
" • ' '

it then be supposed that those men were in the position repre-
sented by a bloated aristocraey—(llear, hear, hear)—namely
that they were better off than the labourers of the Continent ? The
question was not whether they were better off than them or not,
but whether they were so well off as they ought to be.—(Cheers.)
_ .

In one case in Buckinghamshire, a labourer had fallen down on the
farm from actual exhaustion for want of food. In a parish,
Choltsbury, in 1834 and 1835, the farmers could not cultivate the
land, and the adjoining parishes were obliged to contribute to the
poor-rate of that parish. The consequence was that the land was
thrown out of cultivation, but some individuals were sent to the
working men, and asked them if they could cultivate the ground ?
They replied " 0 yea," and the land was divided into small allot.
- ments ; It remains in small portions to this day, and was paying a
higher rent than ever it paid before,while the men were bringing up
their families in independence, without the help of either farmer or
landowner. Those who thought that land would goout of cultivation
appeared to imagine that tithes and rent were necessary to the culti•
vation of the land, while it could be very well cultivated without the
assistance of either.—(Hear.) It would be a very good day for the
working man whoa the land did go out of cultivation. The
Corn.laws,and these who upheld them, had been proved to have been
guilty of theft, and he could prove that they were guilty of tour.
der, for murder, whether perpetrated with a knife or by the depri-
vation of food, was in fact the same. The people must do all in
their power to obtain repeal. The House of Commons were but
the representatives of the aristocracy; they (the Con-
ference) were the representatives of the people—of the
backbone and sinews of the nation—the working classes. The
agricultural labourer was always best off in those years when
bread was cheap, and, therefore, it was to their advantage that the
Corn.laws should be repealed. They had beaten the Whigs on this
question, and they could and would beat the Tories on it also, for
they had it completely in their power to do so. When they at•
tacked the Corn-laws first, many of the Whigs, being monopolists
themselves, were against them, and they said if the Corn-laws be
repealed, so also will be the timber duties, the duties on West
Indian produce,and other protections ; and it being generally very
difficult to draw a man's conscience through his breeches pocket,
they were deaf to the cries of a suffering and starvink, l eople on
this question. The agriculturist was only one portion of the com-
munity, and it was, therefore, the duty of every honest man to
pursue that course which would confer the greatest benefit on the
greatest number. The Duke of Buckingham, that prince
of humbugs, who is a disgrace to a civilised country, and those
►ike him, can go to the Continent and get their food and
luxuries at a cheap rate, while the artisan and the labourer must
stay at home. Some would attempt to prove that the country was
too thickly populated. Such an attempt was a libel upon the great
God of nature. What was the declaration of God ? "Be fruit.
ful and multiply" was his command. All they wanted was fair
play, and justice done to every man ; and he advocated the repeal
of the Corn-laws because,it was a matter of justice, because it was
a matter of expediency, and because upon it depended whether
great masses of his countrymen were to be prematurely taken to
" that bourne whence no traveller returns." Peel had only
scotched the disease; but they should let Mtn know that nothing
short of a total repeal of these laws would satisfy the people of this
country.—(Loud cheers.)
Mr. THOMPSON, of Northwich, should have preferred remaining
silent, were it not that he felt he could not do so conscientiously,
considering the responsibility which rested upon him as a Delegate

from a large and influential body of persons, who were, one and
all, in favour of a total repeal of the Corn-laws. He stood
there fully prepared to advocate a total and unqualified re.

peal of all. taxes upon the food of the people. Had
there been a low duty proposed by the Ministry, they should have
been in a much worse position than that in which they now
stood. Yesterday they were on the ground-door, and now they
were upon the platform, and were prepared to advocate those
measures which were necessary to effect the proposed intentions,
and that was to put bread in the mouths of the working men.
Ile was determined to advocate the question at all hazards, and
be was determined when he returned home to adopt such a measure
as would make their operations more effective. He perceived a
want of organization amongst the Corn-law rcpealers, and he re-
solved that he would procure a large and well-bound book
which would last for years, and instil upon the mind of every
man with whom he conversed, the iniquity of those laws ; and
induce every man, woman, and child who could write to sign
theil names in it, and pledge themselves never to cease their ex.
ertions until they succeeded in effecting the repeal of those laws
which had starved our industrious countrymen. It was quite tin.
mcessary for him to add to the picture any scenes of woe which he
himself had witnessed ; the picture was already too dark ; such
things were enough to harrow the feelings of any man who had
a spark of humanity within him. They must now endeavour to
secure the remedy. One of the means of doing so, was to unite
themselves more closely to the working classes. They
Inta stood at too great a distance flow them—they had not suffi-
ciently amalgamated with them. Many of them had peculiar views
—th e Chartists, for instance—in which they could not concur; but
let them unite all their differences in one general effort to obtain the
repeal of the Corn-laws.--(Hear, hear.) The question was a grow-
ing one—it had got fast hold of the public mind. Never had it been
so well understood as now. They would go from that Conference
not only with their minds enlightened on this subject, but with
their arms nerved for action. IL: was not prepared to take the ad-
vice of one of their legislators, to make emigration the remedy for
the distresses of the country. As a patriot, he loved his country,
and had no desire to leave it ; rather would he endeavour to assist
in eradicating those evils, which had grown up in the Constitution
before they were aware of them. He was determined to make his
children lisp the repeal of the Corn-laws, to teach them in infancy
that those laws were oppressive, and to endeavour that they should
grow up with that impress,on.—(Hear, hear.) Much might be done
too by instilling the same expression into the minds of children in
the day schools and Sabbath schools; they should be taught Mat
they were opposed to morality and to religion. As a Christian
man, belonging to a Christian church, Inc had treated this as a great
moral and religious question; and if it were so, it should be in-
stilled as such into the minds of the young.—(Bear, hear.) In con-

c!usion, he was happy to have an opportunity of expressing his con-
currence in the plans and principles which had been set forth in
that Conference, and of declaring thus publicly his firm dett r:nina.
tion not to cease to agitate this question until the great ob:eet
which they had in view had been at'ained.—(Che :vs )
GRIFFITH EVANS, Esq., (Chairman of the Carnarvon Conference
said the meeting could not expect from him anything like a thief t
speech. Did they understand his native language, he could relate
to them facts which would make their cars tingle and their hearts
thrill. Ile would crave their indulgence for a few minutes ;it was
the first time in his life that he had attempted to address an Eng.
lish audience in their own language.—(Bear, hear) After travelling
more than 200 miles to represent the people of Merionethshire, and
part of Montgomeryshire, he should not feel justified In returning,
without having said something on their behalf. It had been said
that night by a very fluent speaker, that the farmers of Bucking.
hanehire were calling for a repeal of the Corn.laws. lie could
tell them that the farmers of Merionethshire, and of the principa-
lity generally, were demanding their repeal. The poor were there
getting poorer still. The farmers were sinking with the working
men in so frightful a degree, that unless something were speedily
done, they would sink in one common ruin. The working men
might be called the foundation stone of the country. If there were
any property, it was in the strength of the working man. The
great Lord might lose his estate; the rich Duke might lose his
money, the Baronet might lose all his indulgences and all his
grandeur; but the working man had the power of gaining
his bread by the labour of his hands and by the sweat of his brow.
Ist 1829, corn was high. In his part of the country, barley was
the principal growth ; in that year the price was 48s. per
quarter. Wages were low at that time. He (Mr. E.) in that
year paid his head servant 91. a year, and his harvest men ]ll. a
day, with food. In seven years after barley was fallen to half the
price, but he paid twelve guineas a year to his head servant, and
the wages of the harvest men was 12d. and 14d. a day. The re.
suit was that the people lived happily and in plenty—(Next, hear)—
they were well fed and well clothed. Thcre were able to take their
places in church, which they could not do in 1829, nor in any one
of the three last years.—(llear, hear.) Some people tB,ked of
emigration. What benefit would that do the country ? It would
take away all the useful, all the industrious and able part ot the !CP.
pUlatiOn, and leave only the tag end.—(Laughter.) The prosperity,
of the people must be in proportion to the demand for the products I
of their labour. In consequence of there being no demand for
heir labour the poor-rates were doubled.—(bear, hear.) He could
not see how the farmefs could be injured by the people having
employment --(Hear, hear.) He was himself a landowner, and
farmed besides about '2,000 acres (near, hear)--and he had given
fu I consideration for years past to this question, and he could never

find out how this system could do good to farmers or landowners. 1
But, in fact, those persons were blinded by the tithe-owners, who
had a peculiar interest in the Corn-laws through the operation of (
the Tithe Commutation Act.—(Hear, hear.) if a clergyman had
an income of 4001. a_year out of tithes when corn was 4/. a
quarter, he would have that income reduced to 3001. when
the price of corn was reduced to 31. a quarteer.—(Hear.) Ile
did not speak of clergymen alone, but of tithe-owners of all
kinds. By the Tithe Commutation Act, the amount of the
tithes was made to depend upon the price of corn; so that to
the tithe-owners it was a sliding-scale like Peel's.—(Great laugh-
ter.) He repeated that he did not only speak of the clergy, but of
all tithe.owners. Many of them(wero men who never put on a
surplice, and many were ladies.— Hear, and a laugh.) Yes, many
ladies had property in tithes, and others had the power of ap.
pointing their friends to rectories and bestowing on them a title
to receive tithe. No class, however, but the tithes-owners
alone had any real interest in the Corn-laws.—(Cries cf
Hear, hear.) And, speaking of the clergy, he must certainly
say, that he should be glad to see the clergymen of London
coming forward on this quest ion.—(Cheers.) The people of
Wales were looking with anxious hope to this large Conference,
and hundreds were at that moment on their knees praying to God
that this Conference would have some influence with Parliament,
and would prevail on the Legislature to grant them some relief.—
(Hear, hear.) The aristocracy in his neighbourhood called him a
' spouting demagogue.—(A laugh.) But he could take all that as
coolly as Sir Robert Peel himself—(Cheers and great laugh-
ter)—and neither sneers nor taunts would mako him
turn his back upon the cause. (Hear, and cheers.)
They had not in Wales been enabled to get the assistance of any
ministers of the Gospel. They had gone about to the different
towns and villages, but they were not granted admittance into
Town-halls; public-houses were closed against them—chapels and
;daces of worship were closed against them ; and what did they do ?
Why they borrowed a cart and went into the street—(Loud cheers)
—and there they were attacked and called all manner of names, yet
still they went on.—(Loud cheers.) A minister of the Gospel had
come to him, and said that no man professing Christianity could
act in the manner in which he (Mr. Evans) was acting. He asked
if Christianity did not consist in seeking justice for one's neigh.
boor ?—(Loud cheers.) Did not Christ do so when he related the
parable of the Priest, the Levite, and the Samaritan ?—(Cheers.)
He referred him to the Ist chapter of Isaiah, and asked him if he
would call Isaiah a sprouting demagogue and a political firebrand ?
" Why should ye be stricken any more ? Ye will revolt more and
more. The *hole head is sick"—that was the King—" and the
whole heart is faint" that was the Parliament (Cheers an 1
laughter)—and unless some purge was administered to itunless
it were soq*cured of Its faintness, it would ruin the country.—
1 (Cheers.) Again he called upon the ministers of religion in this
great metropolis to come forward and join them. He hoped to see
them
,and to Ileac them at the Conference. The country was look,