The Sun.
London, England, 1842-12-08 00:00:00

ANTI-CORN-LAW MEETING
AT LEEDS.

LEEDS, WEDNESDAY MORNING.—A tea-drinking
meeting in favour of the objects of the Anti-Corn-law
League, was held on Tuesday night at Leeds. About
400 or 500 persons, chiefly females, collected together
at the Music Hall, Albion-street, and there was tea
and the usual quantity of speechification, of which we
give a specimen below. Mr. J. G. Marshall, a Leeds
mill-owner, presided; and in the orchestra near him
we observed Mr. Cobden, M.P. ; Mr. Aldan), M.P. ;
Mr. Busfeild, M.P. ; Dr. Bowring, M.P.: Colonel
Thompson, and most of the leading Corn-law agitators
of Leeds. After tea was disposed of,
The CHAIRMAN briefly introduced the proceedings
by observing that the peculiar circumstances under
which the stirring appeal of the Anti-Corn-law
League had been made, were such as entitled it to
their vigorous support. Few could deny that the
principles of free trade had made a signal and sub-
stantial progress in public opinion. All political par-
ties in the House more or less admitted those prin-
ciples ; and in the addresses of agricultural represen-
tatives to their supporters in the country were found
uncommon moderation, and an infusion of new and
liberal ideas. Their cause was gaining the support of
almost all great and distinguished agriculturists—not
only of a Spencer and a Fitzwilliarn, who had long
given their honourable and open adhesion to the truth,
but of all who were earning, or had earned, a just
title to be called eminent, by the successful applica-
tion of their skill and enterprise to the improvement
of the resources of our common country.—(Hear.)
He trusted the hand of every man would be stretched
out in proportion to his means, to aid in the good
cause which his heart and:mind approved of.—(Hear.)
Mr. T. PLINY, the Secretary, was then called on,
and read letters received from Lord Morpeth, Lord
Radnor, Lord Kinnaird, Mr. Hume, Mr. Ward, and
others, expressing concurrence in the object of the
meeting, but stating their inability, from different
causes, to attend.
Mr. W. ALmisi, M.P. for Leeds, was then called
on to move the first resolution. He observed, that
amongst the most striking circumstances which dis-
tinguished the present autumn from those of the pre-
ceding five years, was the comparative cheapness of
provisions. We had had an abundant harvest, a large
importation of food had taken place, and great cheap-
ness at present existed; but in spite of these circum-
stances, which at all preceding periods had been able
to restore our trade no sign of revival was seen, the
wisest heads were unable to point to the direction
from which the revival was to come, until the unex-
pected news of the pacification of the East had ar-
rived, and a market of first-rate importance, with a
probability of its increase, had been opened to us. A
revival had taken place. Could anything show more
clearly the vast importance of foreign trade to this
country, when, with all the events that at previous
periods have revived the home trade, no revival had
occurred?—(Applause.) The fact of six hostile tariffs
having been passed in the last year, and England not
being able to urge a successful remonstrance, showed
that something was radically wrong in our com-
mercial policy.—(Applause.) England had, in
fact, put her commercial system upon such
a footing, importing only the raw materials of
her manufactures, and some few things which she
did not choose to be without, that she was unable to
threaten retaliation for any hostile tariff. There was
no better means of reducing foreign Stater Lo terms
than by allowing an unrestricted corn trade ; for ex-
perience showed that we drew our supplies indiffer-
ently from every country in Europe, and all those
countries benefited by it might be induced or com-
pelled, by means of the power this trade gave us, to
make great concessions. A free trade in corn would
give us a commercial power before which no tariff
in Europe could many years stand unmodified.—
(Loud applause.) He rejoiced at the direction the
efforts of the League were now taking—that, avoid-
ing invectives against landowners and farmers, they
were now addressing themselves in earnest to
convince that portion of the commercial world
which—singular to say, still remained not very small—
who were indifferent on the Corn-laws, and to con-
vince the large class of farmers and landowners who
had hitherto been against them. At the present mo-
ment the farmers would be much more ready listeners
than formerly ; they had learned by dear experience
that the sliding scale was an ingenious contrivance
for injuring all parties.—(Applause.) The commer-
cial merits of the question, too, were better under-
stood. Each year fallacy after fallacy disappeared.
Very little was now heard of the balance of trade ;
people were beginning to understand how that a
trade might be advantageous with a nation, as in the
but
tcoaslevhoifnhßwuessieax,pofrrotemd whom
little. wleviemhpeoarrteddhttle largely,nolv
of
the exchanges being against
i us, and the currency
being consequently thrown into confusion. It was
known that for the last five years we had had a trade
in corn which had required us to pay, either in
gold or manufactures, from 4,000,000/. to 8,000,000/.
annually; still, in spite of this immense sum having to
be sent out of the country, the exchanges were favour-
able, and had been for some time. Thus commerce had
found for itself Channels by which that corn might be
paid for without any injury to the country. The
only argument now urged was the , danger of being
dependent on foreign countries. Was it possible we
could be much more dependent than at present ? If
the supply of cotton were cut off for a few months,
would not all Lancashire be starving ? He con-
cluded by moving the following resolution :
" That whilst this meeting approves of the spec-
fic object of the Anti-Corn-law League—the
r
and considers that measure to
be imperatively called for as an act of justice to the
andepeal r of
provisions
restrictions
pois on the import of corn
consumers of food, as the only means of averting the
ruin of the manufacturing classes, giving ultimate and
solid prosperity to agriculture itself, and preserving
the peace and well-being of the entire nation, it
emphatically • recognises the principle on which the
demand for repel is based—the wise, peaceful, and
benevolent principle of free trade, the adoption of
which in the whole commercial policy of this kingdom
would, it solemnly.. believes, heal the lamentable and
unhappy feuds which distract its several classes, and
impede the progress of knowledge and social improve-
ment, and would substitute for the jealousies and
heartburnings betwixt nation and nation that mutual
dependence, respect, and attachment, which would
banish war from the civilized world."
Dr. BOWRING seconded the motion.
The CuAiumANthen put the resolution, which was
unanimously carried, as were each of the succeeding

ones.
Colonel Tuomrsorr was received with cheers. After
alluding to his local connections with the town, he
said he should be happy to send every lady home with
a family definition of monopoly—it was robbing two
people to give half of the spoil to one.—(Applause.)
Doubts had sometimes been raised as to the precise
manner in which the prohibition of foreign grain
stopped the trade in Leeds broad cloth ; but that
was made painfully evident to the Hull captain,
who took out a cargo of cloth to Hamhurgh, and
found he could not exchange it for anything but
articles prohibited there.--(Bear.) He, of course,
vowed never to take another cargo of Leeds cloth,
and well he kept his word.---(Applause.) If a bale of
Leeds goods went to America, it had there to compete
with German, Saxon, and Belgian goods ; and, sup-
posing that a certain quantity of each sold for ten dol-
r lars, while the foreigners had only two dollars out of
their ten to expend for replacing the food of their
workmen, the Leeds man had three dollars to expend
for the same purpose; thus making a difference of
thirteen or fourteen per cent. in the rate of their pro-
fits. had an Act of Parliament been passed declaring
" Whereas it is desirable that the trade-in Leeds broad-
cloths shall be suppressed and abolished, be it enacted,"
&c., the business could not have been done more ef-
fectually.—(Hear.) Nobody would be deluded with
the notion of a foreign trade to be got up 12,000 miles
off, nobody knew where.—(Hear.) If foreign trade
was such a good, why not let them have it nearer home ?
There was a great want within sight of our shores,
but no Leeds cloth must be sold there.—(Hear.) They
might sell it in China if they would, but what were
they to bring back ? They could not eat tea or barn •
boos.—(Applause.) Those who drink the best and
dearest tea would certainly get it cheaper ; provision
was always made for their comfort.—(Hear.) But
we had stolen 21,000,000 dollars, and that was to
vivi▪ fy us, because they were silver dollars.—
(L a ughter.) He trusted the time was not come when
a ci▪
vilised and intelligent nation like England would
submit to the piratical law which prohibited trade for
the sake of mercenary warfare.—(Applause.) Though
it was no business of his to say so, there. were few
worse trades going than war.—(Applause.) He
would point out the course which they might adopt to
relieve this national suffering. Somehow or other
nothing Wm done in England without money,
and Manchester now applied to Leeds to assist
them in laying statements of these facts be-
fore the public; awl they were content to abide by
the conclusion. He had-to move " That this meet-
ing, being deeply convinced that truth is invincible,
and must prevail,' and recognising the diffusion of
knowledge, and peaceful but energetic discussion as
the onlylegitimate means for attaining the object of the
League, tenders its grateful thanks to the Council of
that body for the great and costly efforts it has made,
and with such signal success, to inform the public
mind on the
and h
it eartily pledges itself to a zealous co-operation
principles and effects of the Corn -laws ;
within carrying out its great purpose, of placing
the means of full and complete information on this
vital subject, before the whole electoral body of the
empire. —(Applause.)
Mr. E. IlmenALL briefly seconded the resolution,
which being carried,
Mr. COBDEN rose to return thanks, and was received
with great cheering.
He referred to the proceedings
of the League during its four years' existence, and ob-
served that they did not lay claim to infallibility ; but
if they had done anything deserving of censure in

times gone by, it was owing to the hostility with
which their lecturers were received in the agricul-
tural districts, where they were pelted, pumped upon,
and treated in the most ignotninkus manner. Now,
many approved of their proceedings who bad never
done so before, alleging that they were adopting a
more temperate course, in appealing to reason, the fact
being that they had pursued that course all along. Was
it not most singular that in a country where every-
thing must be decided by free discussion the de-
fenders of the Corn-laws even in the agricultural
districts could not get up a meeting in support of
the Corn-laws ?—(Hear.) And yet it was not sur-
prising, for what orator, even if he possessed all the
powers of Demosthenes, would get up and utter an
eulogy upon famine and starvation ?—(Cheers.) In
the House of Commons the tactics of their opponents
were, to draw them off from the main question by
personal squabbles and accusations; and for this pur-
pose, last session, the Member for Knaresborough had
been put forward by the Carlton Club.—(Hear, hear.)
But the Corn-law question was not suffered to escape
in this way, and it would not in future.—(Applause.)
The enemies' tactics would be the same next session ;
they would collect a number of passages from the
speeches of their lecturers and others, and endeavour
to set public opinion against them. But this would not
do ; he and his friends would not undertake the defence
of the League, but would compel their opponents to
debate the Corn-law question itself. Were the advo-
cates of the repeal inclined to waste time, they might
gain a party triumph by showing, that the monopo-
list newspapers in all parts of the country had in-
dulged in such language previous to the late outbreaks
as was eminently calculated to arm the working
classes against their employers, and this fact was par-
ticularly susceptible of proof in the case of a news-
paper at Halifax.—(Hear, hear.) There were some
newspapers advocating monopoly, which professed to
circulate among, and be the organs of, the working
classes. One of those, published in Leeds, used to
send 650 to Stockport, but it now only sent eight of
the same paper; 100 used to be sold in his own works,
now there was not one. That paper, by the last Par-
liamentary return, circulated about 12,000 ; but there
were several other weekly papers, advocates of free
trade, which circulated a much larger number among
the working classes. Therefore, let no one suppose
that the bulk of the working classes were allied with
the monopolists.—(Hear, hear.) The object of the
League now was to disseminate the truths embodied
in Parliamentary Reports, and other documents,
amongst the working classes in a cheap form. That
could not be done, any more than the labours of
Missionary Societies and other charitable institutions
could be carried on, without money.—(Hear.) They
were not going to use the money for boroughmonger-
ing ; but they hoped to enlighten the minds of elec-
tors, and influence them in the right direction.—(Ap-
plause.) And he doubted not, at the next general
election, that by this means they would be able to
return from 150 to 200 Members, pledged and bound
together, and, what was much better, vigilantly
watched by their constituents, who would go to Par-
liament for the express purpose of emancipating com-
merce and putting down monopoly.—(Cheers.)
Subscription-cards were then circulated, after which
Mr. Flint announced that the following subscriptions
had been put down . _

Messrs. Marshall and Co.
William Pawson, Esq..
Messrs. Stansfeld and Brown 5O
Messrs. John Wilkinson and Co. .. 5O
Messrs. March and Maclea 5O
Messrs. E. Birchall and Sons
Benjamin Walker, Esq.
Newman Cash, Esq.
William Smith, Esq., Burley
John Waddington, Esq 25
S. J. Birchall, Esq.
Messrs. E. Baines and Sons .
Messrs. W. B. Holdsworth and Co. .. .....
Messers. Beverley and Sons
Joseph Bates, Esq.
,
Robert Joswett, Esq.
Messrs. Buckle and Son
Charles Heaps, Esq lO
Messrs. Thomas George and Son
Shepherd, Esq. .. lO

After some further unimportant resolutions had
been passed, the meeting broke up, the Chrirman an-
nouncing the total subscriptions at the meeting to
amount to 7451.