The Sun.
London, England, 1842-02-10 00:00:00

MORNING SUN

. been long since sent into foreign parts.—( Hear. )
..He (Me. Taunton) found, from Parliamentary Returns, that
in the year 1832 the value of machinery exported from this
, country amounted to 92,000/., in 1833 to 197,0001., in 1834
to '2(1,0001., in 1835 to 307,000/., in 18:36 to 302,0001., in
1837 to 493,0001., in 1838 to 627,00)/., and in 1839 to
683,0601., making a difference in the amount of the value of
machinery exported from this country between the years 1832
and 1839, of 591,000/. Thus the total difference amounted
to no lesS a sum than 2,845,987/. for machinery alone. So
far, then, as the argument went, machinery had gone, and
was going,' and that in spite of all which certain per-
sons said or did. —( Hear.) Increased civilization called forth
new and artificial wants which should be satisfied, and no
povrereoweerth could restrain its progress. Another argument
used was-that we could produce for all the world. Yes, if all
the world would be so silly as we had been, to allow the aris-
tocracy tee state how much we consumed, it would then be
true that we might produce for all the world.—( Hear.)
But supposing, by an increased power of machinery, and new
modes of creating and distributing wealth, we could produce
for all the world, was man for ever to struggle only for the first
element of existence—food? Was the great moral principle,
implanted by the great Creator in the human breast,
neve*: to :be brought into action? Were they, in the
nineteenth. century to continue struggling for food just as the
harba.riins did in the feudal times? Was there to be nothing
for the mind? Was the mind not to be cultivated by educe-
(ion?_ Was it not a disgrace to the English Legislature, that
i n the, .nineteenth century—this boasted era of civiliza•ion-e.
we should find ourselves struggling fur a morsel of food. The
mind had higher, nobler claims, and in his (Mr. T.'s)
short period of existence hem remembered many prejudices
which had been broken down—many links of tyranny which
had been knocked off ; and he hoped to see many more. They
had learned to forget the silly distinctions of Englishmen,
Scotchrnen, and Irishmen. 'they had learned to forget the
folly of drawing a dagger to cut the Frenchman's
throat. All those influences were increasing and tend-
ing to the triumph of that spirit of moral sympathy
which would make the whole world one i famly,
and all it,
inhabitants brethren—a sympathy which would know of no
alien. Another argument used was, that they were Irvine
upon less on the Continent than we were. Was it, he
would ask, necessary that because the beggar tame in contact
with the aristocrat, the aristocrat should imitate the beggar ii
Was it not more likely that the beggar should be rather iret
dined to imitate the aristocrat ? It was false reasoning to
suppose, that because we came in contact with the serfs of
Poland and of Russia, we should adopt their mode of living.
All past experience proved that to be a fallacy—that, on the
contrary, when ,one nation came in contact with another, the
barbarian became more civilised, and not the civilized
more barbarous.—( Hear, hear.) There were various system'
and sophisms advanced for the purpose of deluding them and
drawing them off from the main point. There were men who
seemed to have their minds made up when the flood came—
that they never would progress at all. Those men never could
make any calculation whatever, but what " had been in the
beginning, was now and ever should be."—(Cheers
and great laughter.) Men of weak minds, timid, and
of narrow views, had in every age and clime spent their puny
efforts to stop the rotation of events, and check the glorious en-
gine of civilization. They had clung to the mighty wheels of
progressive good, and idiot-like fancied: that the iron-grasp
of their individual selfishness would stop its course and stay
civilization ; but how vain the effort ! While they
cried stand sell, and with reckless tenacity struggled
to retard the steady and majestic course of the wheels of civi-
lization. They were whirled round, and fell crushed into their,
native nothingness. As well might the highway robber, when
railways, were established, have issued forth to his vocation,
crying "that he would stop the steam-engine and rob every
mother's son of the passengers." Who would have regretted,
if the robber had fallen crushed beneath the wheels of the
steeen- engine.—( Loud cheers.) Ile would not detain them:
much longer. The consideration of endeavouring to rescue,
from; immediate arid utter starvation the starving artisans of thie
country, their wives and children, and if possible to raise man in
the snore' scale as an intellectual and dignified being,was a g'orious.
conwideration. 'theirs was the eolorious task to seek to make,
justice triumph over injustice. Let them remember that there
were periods of patience—that to those who were starved out of
existence, society had violated its duties. The social compact
supposecrsocial security, and social justice, and if the laws did not
give that justice and that security, the compact was broken, and,
allegiance to it dissolved.—( Cheers.) Ile was not there as the
advocate of physical force, but rather of the physical force of
the moral power of nwebers. The Legislature se!dom yielded
anything save but to feir ; they should not therefore be too
demure in their demands. It was only when murmurs ran
from mouth to mouth, and the passionate whiteness of in- •
dignation and insulted human nature was seen on every
faree--when men gathered together united as one man and in
one cause—when millions discovered their moral st,en,oth and
determinatiunt —hen it was that hypocrites in power became
honest—(Cheers)—then it was that the tyrant prepared him-
self to grant concessions—then that justice t: iumphed over injus-
tice, virtue over vice, truth over error, principle over prejudice.
then it was that society took another! glorious stride for-
ward in e:vilisation, which should be the prelude to eternal
and lastin 4 triumph, and enlightened humanity. —( Chem s. )
Were the people who had conqurred the proud, corrupt bo-
roughmongers—they who made them run like rats—( Laughter
and cheers)—to be treated in that way ?—( Hear, hear.)
Would it be said that they were to be subjected to
ill-treatment and injustice for a remote good—a good
that ' etuld not be immediately attained ? Would it be
said that the people who could do all they had
over and over again done should be defeated on this question,
Which was a question of life and death ?—no, they could not
;they should not be defeated.—( Cheers.) But the result
vibieh west inevitably follow, the moral result which must
fellow from the agitation of these laws must be attended' with
the best possible effects. Hehad not the least apprehension upon
his mind $l.O to the favOniableresult of the agitation of thiiquestion,
and if it eficl'iret du', All the good which the enthusiasts of the
country wished or, expected, it was manifest at all events that
the interests of the country were progressing, and if there were
aq'obtitaele. tnOreverd 'their progress for th future, down with
theirde:::e(Cheers.) 'Unless the question they were now agi-
tating . be, at once decided, Ire (Mr. Taunton) should'
be very much displea.ed ,
,with. 'the friends of tine
people who were in the House' of Commons.—(Cheers.)"
Ile should be very much displeas-ed indeed it those gentlemen
'sere in favour of the tallow-chandler's scale—the slippery
sliding scale —( Laughter and increased cheers.) If they were
for such a scale, he dared say they would, like the tallow-
chandlers, cut it rather fat--( Renewed laughter) —but the
people
of the country had made their minds up
against all slippery and sliding scales—they were
determined to have a larg,e loaf—( Great cheering)—
and that loaf they would purchase by the fruits of honest in-
dustry, if the Legislature would lee them have it.--( Hear,
hear.) But if the Legislature opposed the people they would
commence an agitation all over the country for the thorough
and complete purging of that corrupt House.—( Tremendous
-cheering, which was continued for several minutes.) It the
people commenced such an agitation they should adopt pre-
eistely the same principle of action as he was now
proud to see actuated the respectable gentlemen whom he then
had the honour of acting with. They sl.ould not give ue the
Corn-laws for the Suffrage question, but they should say the
people should have both the repeal of the Corn-laws and the
extension of the. Suffrage too.—( Cheers. ) They would insist
'-upon the Suffrage question because it would ensure the
tesoreal of the Corn-laws.—( Loud cheers.) They would have
.no sliding scale of Suffrage, but they should have a complete
suffrage for the entire people—(lncreased cheers)—he would
net say the " universal' people, for he did not approve of
that term ; the word " entire" was better. It was true
there were many mistaken people who might be invested with
the privilege of the suffrage, but though there were, he thought
the entire people should have that privilege. If there were here
and there a distracting firebrand in the country, that
was no more proof that the "entire" people should not
have the privilege of the elective franchise, than it was to say
that the sun should not shine upon the murderer and the jest
man alike. The people—the " entire " people--should have
the suffrage question carried, and they should also have the
Corn-laws repealed. These questions, particularly the
latter, could not be postponed—there should he no
sliding scale.—( Great cheering.) The sliding scale
might be very good for such men as Sir James Graham.—
(Hear, hear. ) It might do very well for such gentlemen as
that, but it would not do for the people, and the wants and the
interests of the people should be attended to.—( Loud cheers.)
Suppose a hungry child said to its father, " Father, I want
some bread."—( Hear, hear, hear.) " Well," says the father,
.4 You shall have bread—you must have plenty when the
Corn-laws are repealed."—( Loud cries of " Hear, hear.")
The child says, " And, father, when will that be—when will
those Corti-laws be repealed?" The father must say he does
'not know, until Sir Robert Peet propounds his measures and
calculated the averages ; and, of course, the child could` not be '
very much pleased with that answer—( Hear, hear)--for it
Was not ' eery likely it could be able to. wait -for
-breed- until Sir Robert Peel thought it right to introduce
his wasure upon the subject of the Corn-laws. Wereoot all
' those who composed that meeting—was not every roan in the
coentry, as fathers and husbands, liable to he asked the same
gastimii by • their children ?—( Hear, hear. ) 'they were all
subjected to the same consequences, and he was sure they could
be no longer trifled with. He fully appreciated the character of the
clergymen who had cooperated with the people upon this trying
and important -occasion. They exemplified the character of
.;.'Jesise Christ, " who went about doing good;" arid he rejoiced
to wee dust the-time had arrived when the clergymen of this
country had come forward to minister to the wants of their fellow
trian,,ind assist in the assertion of their just and indisputable
slights..,- .11.1 r.• Taunton concluded a very able and eloquent
',speech amidst the most enthusiastic applause. . .
.Thtt'Cheieman thew introducsd the Rev. Mr. Burden, of
,-,..gust ,:to the meeting.
11101,140 t. Dole. iiits nears presented himself in support of the
o e resointion. - .lineeitt. after some prefatory observations, that
it. wasdat no...means necessary that he, though he cordially
.. . eupponed‘the resolution before the chair, should coincide with
all the views which had been so ably and eloquently
expressed by the gentlemen who had preceded him ;
be could not give his
hearty assent and consent to every word
which had fallen fry iris able and eloquent friend. He thought
it sufficient if he approved of the objects of the resolution,
and of the means which the meeting adopted to obtain
those objects. He did most cordially approve of those
objects ; and he had much pleasure in supporting the
resohition.—(Hear, hear.) He was no party man. By that
he did not mean to say that he belonged to no party, for he
was convinced of the necessity of parties in order to uphold
the interests of society at large; but those parties should act
temperately and moderately.—(Hear.) He thought that the
evil was not the existence of parties in Church and State,
but the manner and the feeling which actuated those parties.
It was hardly to be imagined that in a country like this all
should be of one mind. It was exceedingly questionable,
whether even if such a monotony existed in this country
it could be of advantage to society.—( Hear, hear. )
He stood there as a Conservative.—( Hear, hear.) He did
not affirm that he was a Conservative in the conventional
sense of that term, because he believed firmly that the more
the meeting steered clear of all party or political
questions the better.—( Hear, and cheers-) He did
not, however, blame the speakers who had travelled a little
out of what he considered, strictly speaking, a prudent line of
argument ; for himself, he (the Reverend Gentleman), said
lie would not affirm or deny that he belonged to any
party—he called himself a Conservative, but he did not
know what meaning the meeting might give to that
term ; be did not look into Johnson's Dictionary to
see what meaning he gave to that word—( A laugh)—
but he believed that all those who belonged to the Corn-law
League were true Conservatives.—(" Hear" and cheers.)
lie
was comoneeel that repeal of the Corn-laws would
have a decidedly conservative-effect upon the country, and more
than that, be rather doubted that anything short of &Wel repeal
of those laws would 7.tve that effect._( Hear, hear, and loud
cheering.) As a Christian minister he always thought him-
self called upon in troublesonie times to plead for peace and
, , good order, and in his own locality hl' e had not leaded in vain.
its a Christian minister, he believed it to be his duty to be
peaceable himself, and promote peace amongst his fellow
that the . •
on
cons agitation of
=en, ,and he was Will
'
this question must
have a rose salutary . effect:
' -He lived in' a neighbourbiimf where poverty abounded, where
a lirge portion of
,the
:people were, or rather used to be, sup.
employment, and were
4 - ufictiurea, He well knew now that thousands
4.,._. Ithilfll'.'or Partially. out of mill
.ri.i.-1,..My. He admired their patience, and acehd
eilir, ." ''' 04.;.,_.4Ififitibirtf j-ears; where he lived, the p
is
if.:4t;or. -''
-= , t', an outrage. He knew; to
,hi
-", ,ee-. ' outra e whatever had occurred. ro
the .beat -ot 1•
It
40.000 pe,pre aw. .ltsnow edge and recollection, about
of thot number thee,' ;hat. the borough of Stroud, and out
to his recollection occurred one