The Sun.
London, England, 1842-02-15 00:00:00

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS.
FROM THE EVENING PAPERS OF YESTERDAY.
GLOBE.—There is " no mistake " about the recep-
-' 'tion of the Peel Corn-bill atnongst that inmense body,
' ivlio,had been led to cherish expectations of Sir Robert
Peers intentions in favour. of commerce. " We*Must de-
. Clare," says the Leeds Mercury, "that never, since the
_ temporary defeat of the Reform Bill, have we known
strong a feeling of disgust and indignation excited
in Yorkshire and Lancashire, and among the trading
classes generally, as has burst forth on the announce-
meat of the Government juggle. It has been reported,
• on the other hand, that " some of the Tory Members,
Eardley Wilmot and others, thought Peel might
saft4y have gone farther." What is very certain is, that
if it was safe to take a step at all, it was not safe to take
• sliOrt a step as the Minister has now3taken. There
t. as no safe alternative but staying on his own side of the
c,lou;h,orclearingit. But Sir Robert was looking backward
to Hansard, not forward to the requisite length ofleap. lie
was looking backward to the Tory benches, not forward,
to.the -public feeling and interests. How to reconcile
sqttireish support, and verbal consistency with some
show of change, was the only problem he seems
to have felt himself called on to work out. It is
astonishing he should not have felt that if there was
'any necessity to seem to do something, it must have
amotintvd to a necessity to do something in earnest !
There could not be any mere Parliamentary necessity
for change. There sat an assured majority behind him,
obtained by mere panic of change. What then was it
.that rendered change imperative, despite that majority
There can no answer, except the roused expectations
• of the commercial community. Now, if those ex-
pectations could compel the show of change from
hostile majority, Must they not compel its reality ?
at is, indeed; passing strange that a Minister, whose
apposed disposition to concede to public opinion, and
to consuit public necessities, was the true source of his
s,„.,sligth,. should not have now thrown himself on that
strength, and shown himself in reality what he has always
„been anxious to appear in words, the safe and indispen-
. mule link between stubborn Conservatism and rash Re-
.; form. That delusion has now vanished for ever. It has
~uow been too thoroughly proved that the present Prime
Minister is a man of words, and - nothing but words.
But there is a point where words necessarily fail those.
, who care nothing for things. There is a time when
• their verbal issues must be paid in more solid currency.
That is the moment for distinguishing the statesman
• from the mere party leader. The former keeps in view,
through all changes, the aim of national objects. his
language may:be unguarded, unmeasured, and even,- at
some times, mconaistent. But he always means some-
thing ; he always means to du something, having the
'rho mere party leader means nothing but to be
thee.eht to mean what will serve his party best.
TANI).IIII).—We have felt it a duty to our readers
.mid to truth to print all the communications upon the
subject of the proposed modification of the Corn-laws
that have reached our hands to-day, without any
• reference to the agreement or disagreement of the
writer ,with our own views, It will be seen how few
--thev aids, and hoW nearly they approach to an unqua-
3itiCal approval of Sir Robert Peel's plan. The attempt to
disunite the Conservative party upon this question may
• be considered, indeed, as utterly hopeless ; and we rejoice
to that that the manufacturers-as many of them as are
intelligent and hottest, as many of them as do not seek to
ilestroythe aeieultural interest—are beginning to express
their satisfaction. The purpose of the plan cannot be
hater described than in the words of our Manchester
correspondent ; it Is an arrangement admirably devised
to give to the manufacturers the benefit of all the late
Teat improvements in agriculture without checking the
rfr9lttess. (1: Such improvenients. This is just • the mann-
tPeturets are entitled to share in the benefit,
terause, with whatever ill grace on the part of
Some, they have in part paid for it. But the landed
:interest are surely entitled to preserve their pro-
portion of the benefit, the greater part of which
they have paid for, and the whole of which has been
10-,cured by their exertions. The noisy party at present
is, however, one which looks, not with satisfaction, but
!-•with malignant spite, at the improved resources of the
country. These men, so far from rejoicing in the im-
provement of agilculture, regard that improvement as
a. calamity. Willingly would they see one-half the
jiroduce of our fields blighted ; and if Providence in
it bounty should increase the present product two-
, they would feel the common blessing as
. a severe affliction. An abundant home supply
• -would„ they know, raise the rate of wages,
and deprive . them of the steady foreign corn-
• trade. - True, domestic abundance would improve
the home market, but not in the same pro-
roriien in which it would raise -the price of wages,
The pressure of want upon the humbler classes is in
every, Country the spring of manufacturing industry, as
_was well known to every politicalphilosepher, before, the
principle was strained by the New Poor-hyl Commis-
.. sinners and the Mill-owners of Manchester, &c., .teste
:11r. Ashworth. The Leaguers have not yet ventured to
• say directly Aliat. what they want is to diminish the
' home supply, in order to have a more completely
pauperised population at their mercy ; but this is
what -they mean, and what they say, too, very
unequivocally, though indirectly,. when they com-
Plain that Sir Robert Peel's plan will not ensure
a " regular and steady foreign corn trade." A.
regular and steady foreign corn trade can be en-
sured only by so constant a deficiency in the home
produce as shall prevent that produce ever meeting the
demand of the country even in one year out of ten ; for '
thiti rare' interruption would be quite sufficient to
ilii.;trOy; the regularity and steadinesS of the trade.
The whole
.purpose of the present aeitation is to get
the wOrking classes more absolutely . than they are
'Within the grasp of the monied capitalist ; and this
ought. to be shown to the people without reserve. The
time, is not a time for delicacy in the matter. Nothing
but the utmost frankness in speaking to the people can
!VI Tt very serious dangers. The Leaguers mean blood-
shed, if bloodshed be thought necessary to the effecting j
or their object ; witness their incendiary harangues, wit-
ness some of their acts, and the countenance given to
thoSe act* . by, the men who ought to prevent them.
WeAtaVe received a letter from Derby describing the
proceedings on Thursday of a "League. mob of 7,000
• or 8,000 persons assembled by torch-light, who held the
town at their mercy for a considerable time, until two
• or three Conservative Magistrates, of inferior Magisterial
• rank, felt them-elves at liberty to interfere. A recol-
lection of the libel laws forbids us to publish all the par-
' oculars that have come to our knowledge, and during
the sitting or-Parlianient it ought to be unnecessary for
us to do so.

THE CORN-LAWS
MEETING AT SOUTHWARK.

THE ADJOURNED MEETING,
The adjourned meeting was held in a room of one of Mr. Alder-

:nail's warehouses, to which the High Bailiff and the other gentle.
Alen, proceeded in a body. They were joined here by several
hundreds, who could have found no place in the Town Ha'l. But
the room, though spacious, atThrtied in other respects hut very im-
perfi.et accommodation, either to the press or to the public; and
,egret to state that our report of the procedings must therefore, be
• ye, y imperfect

:sir Wit Liam Hawes seconded the adoption of the petition
4to Parliament which had been moved by Mr. Weston, against the
proposed metsure of Sir R. Peel, which the petition denounced as
insuilicient and utterly valueless. The Hon. Gentleman proceeded
to s that Sir Itabeit Peel himself acknowledged that the
measure would afford no adequate relief for the distress at present
e;?eisting in the country. It, would satisfy no class—neither the laud-
Jr.i.ls °lithe one hand, nor the people on the other; And the Ministry
who proposed so heartless and unavailing a measure, should be
driven by an indignant people from the offices which they filled
,1,0 unworthily —(Cheers.)
Mr. ItaiNstEtc, a Chartist, then addressed the meeting, con_
dom ning the Corn-laws, but contending that It would he impossible
to, obtain a repeal of them, till the working-classes were
cssed of the franchise. He pointed out that the
arsistance' 'of the werking-classes was absolutely neces-
sary to ,the middle classes to enable them to carry their mea-
sures, and contended that the middle class, as a body, was not
friendly to the, labouring put of the population.—(Cries of " Ques.
lion," "Go on," and great confusion.) Mr. Rainsley farther ad-
, dressed the meeting to the same effect, but so great was the confusion
(pat his, observations were unheard except by those on the platform.
Ile concluded by proposing an addition to the petition, asserting
the principle of the adoption of the People's Charter.
, Mr. PA 1:1411, a ChartiA, .said that Mr. Rainsley had prepared
ail addition to the petition, similar to the one moved on the last
%.ccaSion. it then received 5,600 signatures from the borough of
So,uthwark alone. i hey were now called on to petition the House
COllltrollB riot to pass Peel's Bill on the Corn-Jaws—that House

had treated thrill with so much contempt and contumely.

IG was,useless to petition them, or to have anything to do with so
teet,a lot.—(Cries of " Question.") They would not destroy class
...14etislation till. the Charter was the law of the land. The working
,had as great a stake in the country, and as great
. right to the franchise as any aristocrat, or lauded pro-
Trietor or millocrat.—(cries of " Shut un," and " Question."
Under the present system there was no hope. The people must
the power of snaking their owa laws. There would be no use
an attempting to bolster up the falling Whigs, who had had power
• (tering the last ten years to repeal the Corn.laws if they had honesty
,i.ough.—(Criee of " Hear, hear," and interruption.) If the
• Anti-Corn.law party then were honest, they 'would join the
stoking millions of the country, and persevere until they
bad) procured a democratic House of Commons, in which
Would be soon done away with those laws that pressed upon
• the food and industry of the people. Let not the Tories gull you as
• the W hies did.--(Cheers and uproar.) Let theprcsent electing do its
dins', and give atone to all the (MK meetings sf the country. Let.
the middle classes unite with the working classes, and they would soon
I aye- the elective franchise extended in favour of both, for the
b sec of public opinion would be irresistible.—(Cheers.) Then they
vould have a House in which the people would be fairly repre-
sented, and the operatives would have a fair day's wages for a
lair `lay's
work.—(Cheers.) With these words he supported the
Motion.—(Cheers.)
el Mr. BIACKMORE warned the operatives against the middle
asses, who called for their assistance now because they wanted
them to hell' in repealing the Corn-laws for their own benefit.
Would the working men now abandon the people's petition and the
Charter ?--(Cheers from the Chartists.) if they did they would
git e the public and the press just reason to insult them.—(Hear,
hear.) Let the working Well remember that they never would get
their rights either as regarded food, or any thing else, until they
bad a share in returning the Parliament, and a voice in making the
laws. The Anti Corn-law party said to them, "If you will help us
to repeal the Curn.laws, we win help you to get the suffrage."
but the operatives should answer, you help us to get the suf-
frage first.''— (Cheers) It was no use to repeal the Corn.laws,
. unless the people were allowed to exercise the power of a con-
. . stitueney.— (Uproar.)
Mr. HEARNE said that the meeting was called for a spe-
cific purpose—to present a petition against the Corn.laws.
—(Loud cheers-) It had been said that the Chartist peti-
tion
was signed by 5,600; but the petition they were met
to adopt was signed by nearly three times that nuasher.—(Cheers
and interruption.) They should act like sensible ruen.—( Hear,
hear, and Contßsion.)
Mr. FEaantls O'Cosisioa then presented himself amidst loud
cheers from the Chartists, and proceeded to say that he was nor.
prised to find that when the proposer anti seconder addressed the
meeting in support of the petition, these were no Signs
of interruption; but when the working.esen
to speak they were met by cries of " Questioncommenced
, goes_
2 tkm." And yet it was net tbeir intention to come between the
People and the Corn.laws, or to drive that measure from the House
`it commons, but to dislodge Sir Robert Peel from his posi.
tot,''' rr.s,cers.) The question was, how they could best
ert t,Thwi
'll4' %Red of theft laws. ,apd. the adoption