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

o instancereii
religion,
bruarrgtllayr yal. s Thisoto thhies avtetrryiblzu tietdat ipartlyagitation,
h eteoaust h_ee
hopew
influenceas
f
kept alive in their bre alnsots.cr—wf Hear,
hehie)aero.p)l e
he
eo
patientlon g a.s
hope was cherished, so _
but he feared for the result if the time should
conic when hope was so long deferred as to make the heart
sick. When such was the case he would not answer for the
results, but he would answer for his doing his best to maintain
the peace of the country, whatever might be the end of this
agitation.—( Loud cheers.) He stood there as a religious
man, and he did not feel that he was going beyond his
duty as , a religious man by occupying that situation
at that meeting. According to his humble, and they might be
mistaken, views of duty, he should think he would be guilty of
dereliction of duty did he refuse to come forward and contrir
bute his humble quota of influence towards the abolition qf
these cruel and injurious laws.—(Cheers.) He quite agreed
in the remarks of the last speaker but one, who said that these
restrictions—these cruel restrictions, were a crime, and had a
great influence on the religion of the country. There were
to his (Mr. Burden's) certain knowledge many children who
were kept from religious worship by a want of clothes;
their clothes having gone to the pawn-shop for the
purchase of food. These laws even effected religion abroad—is
all their missionaries in foreign lands, and they found that uni
ess some beneficial alteration shortly took place they would
feel the effects of those laws more and more. Friend as hcl
was to religious instruction he desired that every man, woman,
and child, should have the means of attending religious worship,
and he felt that these unwise and injurious restriction
on the commerce of the country, kept the people in a state o
degradation and poverty.—( Hear, hear.) He stood there as 4
friend to the poor, and he felt himself highly honoured that
morning in being allowed to do so. He saw many of his Rev.i
Brethren around him. They represented the poor people in
their neighbourhood, and those poor people were delighted to,
think that they felt sympathy with them in their troubles:,
They not only felt sympathy, but they were determined to exer
themselves for the removal of those troubles. He read in.
the Bible many severe denunciations against oppressors and
oppressions, and while those denunciations were issued against
individuals merely, it equally applied to large bodies of men,;
and to legislators. The country had strongly expressed its,
wishes upon this subject, and he felt, that while he lifted up
his voice against individual oppression, it was equally his duty, on:
the same principle, to lift up#us voice against oppression of the;
Government. He did not think that any one present would,
differ upon this important question, and while he said
that many of their opponents were actuated by selfish,
motives, still there were many opposed to them tcii
whom he gave credit for different views. He had;
great pleasure yesterday morning in being present in that
House. As he was coming there he carried in his hand along
the Strand a large bundle—larger, perhaps, than he ever car-,
ried along the streets of London before. That was a bundle,
of petitions, twenty in number, signed by 13,000 persons.—
( Cheers.) He could wish to see such petitions from all parts
of the country, for he confidently expected that great
good would be the result.—( Cheers. ) It was now
that the views of the country should be expressed. Some
years ago the people were deluded on this subject, being told
by their opponents that high prices were identical with high
wages, and that cheap bread was identical with low wages;
but that delusion was no longer felt. The ground on which
he felt the cause was a just one was, that it was the will of God
that no such restrictions should be placed upon the commerce of
countries. God had given to some countries benefits which
he had denied to others, and vice versa, although there
were no direct terms in his Word respecting it, yet he thought
there were many passages which proved it to be his will, that
trade like religion should be free.—( Loud cheering.) He
thought that the best thing in such a meeting as that,
where there were so many persons such able speakers—
lie thought the best course he could adopt was to cut his speech
short ; therefore having thus exi ressed his views, and again ex-
pressing his full concurrence in the resolution before the meet-
ng, he would sit down.—(Loud cheers.)
The resolution was then put from the chair, and carried
unanimously with great cheering.
Mr. DIMMETT, of Wolverhampton rose to propose the
next resolution which had been committed to his hands. The
resolution was originally intended to have been moved by Mr.
Greg, the late Member for Manchester, and perhaps that
would be a ground of claim for indulgence for him (Mr. Dim-
mett), because he did net know, till ten minutes before
that resolution had been put into his hands, that he was
to occupy that situation. As the last speaker had recom-
mended, he should cut his speech short, merely introducing a
few facts relating to the iron trade, with which he was con-
nected, and which might be interesting. The resolution
he had to propose was, that the Deputies present connected
with the staple manufactures of the country, whilst they de-
mar.d the removal of all restrictions upon the importation
of corn and provisions, declare their willingness to aid in
the abolition of all duties imposed for their own Protection.
With the spirit of this resolution ,;his opinion was that protection
was rather inimical than beneficial to manufactures. It was
like keeping a nurse for an infant after it had ceased to need
one, and he would as soon expect to see a healthy manhood
after such a childhood, as that manufactures should rise and
prosper under protection, with regard to which he agreed in
the opinion of Demosthenes, when Alexander requested him to
ask a favour. Alexander was standing between him and the
sun, and Diogenes said the highest favour he could confer was
to stand out of his way. This was all that the ma-
nufacturers desired of the Legislature, that they would stand
out of their way and permit them free scope. The present
Assembly were not such debaters as Sir Robert Peel and his
supporters, but he thought they understood the plain principles
of trade quite as well. Trade to be prosperous should be free,
and there never will be a period in this country, and
there never has been one in its history, when trade was pro-
tected that its prosperity also increased. He did not allude
to such trades as the Spitalfields silk trade. The trade with
which he was best acquainted was the iron trade, i
of -which -. he knew a little. About a century ago
the number of tons produced had been 17,000 yearly, and
employed but a very small number of persons. For the fifty
years following the iron trade had been protected, and its
prosperity declined. After that time, and down to the present,
when" they, had disclaimed protection. (though there was still
a ° nominal disty) the ti ade had gone ' 'on '-gratbially
increasing till its amount now was 1,500,000 tons"; But it will
be said, If your trade has so increased, what reationAtatriyiwal
to complain, at late meetings, of the iron masters in various
parts of the country ? It was resolved by iron masters to raise
the price 25 per cent., and thus lessen the number of workmen.
Ile would not say their trade would be lost to the country, but
unless the Corn and Provision-laws were repealed, it surely
would decline. At a meeting at New York, of iron-
masters, they resolve 1 to send an address to Congress intimating
that the duty must be increased, or their works must
stop. There was a duty in the. United States on iron, which
had increased the iron trade there to 300,000 tons yearly,
and they took hut 70,000 tons from England, while if the
duty on iron in America were abolished, England should
send 400,000 tons of iron to the United States an-
nually, instead of sending only one-sixth of their consumption.
He would claim for the borough of Wolverhampton the honour
of giving rise to free trade principles, and he was glad that
its excellent representative, Mr. Villiers, was to be the organ
of that meeting. If the Legislature removed the Corn and
I'rovision-laws, the country could compete with any country
in the making of iron, and they would successfully hold the
markets of the world.

Mr. Aciotove, of Wakefield, said, he never found protec-
tion to answer the purposes for which it was intended. Com-
merce should be free as the winds and the waves, and then the
industry of England would fear no rival, and England would
he England still. He knew the labouring classes of Halifax,
their industry and value, having been engaged in the
worsted trade there, which was a branch of the woollen
trade, and from his own experience he knew that the la-
bouring classes had borne their distresses with infinite
fortitude and credit to themselves, which demanded the sympa-
thies of every one. All they wanted was the bread which
their industrious hands could earn, and the principal
question now asked on every side was, how was
the distress to be relieved. The expectations of
the distressed were raised to the highest pitch through-
out the country, and if disappointment should fol-
low those expectations, he dreaded the consequences.
He could not contemplate the consequences of those expecta-
tions with composure of mind, of the despair of the people,
and the desperation that would ensue, and there was
no saying what its results would be.—(Bear.) Among
the masses of the people, the people will say, What
are we to do? When the father beholds his family
looking to him for bread, and no means of providing it, he was
dismayed when he considered the feelings of that father.
He should recommend perseverance in the good and holy
work. Their cause was the cause of charity—it was the
cause or humanity ; and its advocacy was a duty
which 'they 'owed to their fellow-subjects.—(Hear, hear.)
The first want'orinan' was to satisfy the craving of hunger.
I `should
Might 'talk' 'about 'education or morality, but men
•shotild first'fof all be fed."-=-(Hear, hear.) He had, he
ton frised, !greet 'confidence in the Government,
luir as the
,titrie 'for' the development of their measures was
diaeitieirear; he did not 'wish upon that occasion to be a pro.
pile:tot evil. It appeared-Whim that the arieultural body did not
truly underst and theirtern interests. What had given this country
-its proSperity, and raised' her to the high position which she
now filled ? It was the untiring industry of the people—
( Hear, hear)—and that prosperity would inevitably decline
if commerce were banished from our shores.—( Hear, hear.)
The consequence of such a calamity would be that
the capital engaged in trade would be transferred to other
countries, where it would be better remunerated; and, with
capital, the most industrious and the most valuable portion of
the community would forsake their native land. —( Hear,
hear.) And when commerce was paralysed what would
be the value of landed property What had been
its value previous to the introduction of commerce ? It was
far beneath its value at the present day. Neither
could it be supposed that if trade declined it could
remain in the state in which trade had found it.
The national debt had since been contracted.—(Hear, hear.)
There was a legislative provision for the poor,and the necessity
of contributing to it would fall with a tremendous weight upon
the landed interest. It should also be remembered that we had now
competitors in the race of commercial improvement; and in
reality foreigners had this advantage over us; that their ma-
chinery was all manufactured upon the best and latest
principles, while there was in England a large portion
of old and inferior machinery, which our manufacturers had sio
encouragement to improve. The truth was, the-statesmen of the
present day did not clearly see their duty. They had
to be driven to the adoption of those measures which the
imperious and pressing necessities of the times required ;
and it was only by the force from without that they could b
engaged to repeal the present iniquitous Corn-law. The
lion. Gentleman concluded amidst cheers, by calling on the
meeting, in the name of justice and of humanity, not to relax in
their efforts until they had been crowned with complete success.
Mr. BALTBY came forward to second the resolution. He be-
lieved that if the people of these countries were resolved to
obtain any measure of justice, their efforts would be successful.
They had obtained Catholic Emancipation, and the emanci-
pation of the slaves in the West Indies, after long and glo-
rious struggles.—(Cheers.) The history of those strug-
gles was pregnant with instruction for the present.
--(Cheers.) The history of the Slave-trade agitation offered
a double lesson. They might learn, in the first place, that half
measures, such as the apprenticeship, were worse than the ori-
ginal evil ; and they might next learn that interested parties,
like the planters, in opposing improvement, mistook
their own interest. The sugar estates had been increased in
value since the slaves had been emancipated ; and he
sincerely believed, that in like manner, if the Corn-laws were
repealed, the landed proprietors would thereby be benefited
If there was one thing more clear than another, it was that
the success of agriculture depended upon the prosperity of
trade, and it was impossible that the one could flourish in the
decline of the other. Ile hoped the advocates of repeal would
never be content with anything short of total and complete justice.
Sir Robert Peel, as Mr. O'Connell had told them, would try
to throw dust in their eyes ; but they should bear in mind,
that if any half-measure were now carried, years would
pass away before complete justice could be obtained.
A total repeal of the Corn-laws was required by the constitu-
tion of the country. He had lately received reports of the con-
dition of the poorer classes in Manchester, which made
his heart ache.—(Hear, hear.) He had seen some
in wafit of food of any kind, and he had seen
others Milton without a single article of clothing to
cover them. He had been to the hospital, where he
had been assured by fne medical gentlemen that there were
many in the town whoa only disease was want and poverty.
With these things before his eyes, he should consider himself
accessory to murder if he did not exert himself to obtain
a repeal of the laws to which those evils were itfributed.
It appeared that Sir Robert Peel was to bring forward a
;notion to-night; he was happy to say that Nr. Villiers