The Sun.
London, England, 1842-06-04 00:00:00

/7.2

rgree, in practical measures, to pre:•.t the utter ruin of sccietv
at large. He did not hesitate to eay, that however muds
hose who were then present had suffered from the present sr.-,
tem, they had not suffered a tithe of the misery which their
countrymen in the manufacturing districts had endured far
years past, and were still enduring. The evils suffered
by the people of the manutacturing districts goaded them
almost to madness; and it should be remembered that there
was a point of endurance beyond which it was impossible for
human nature to go.—(Hear, hear.) It was to provide are
medy for this vast evil that the present meeting had beer
called. They had, as their respected Chairman had well said
been long preaching and praying to those who could not he p
them.—( Hear, hear.) They were like the waggoner in the
fable, who, when his wheel had got into the rut, was said is
hare prayed to Jove to help him out of his difficulty, when he
was told to put his own shoulder to the wheel, and get it
out himself.—( Hear.) He had come from that district of the
country where the cotton manufacture was the principal

support of the people; he had come from the unfortunate
borough of Stockport.—( ) From a letter which he had
received that morning, he learnt that every week was adding to
the misery which existed—every week was adding to the
number of tenan'less houses, to the number of unemployed
operatives, to the number of bankruptcies amongst the middle
classes, and to the miserable and almost distracted State of the
people.—( Hear.) This day week a public meeting had been
called by the Mayor of Stockport, to take into consideration
what should be done in the present distressed state of the
town. It was composed of persons of all political opinions,
and a memorial was agreed to. It was moved lir a Rey. Divine,
seconded by one of the leading Chartists of the place, and
supported by all cla”es in the assembly. That memorial was
aodressed to her nijesty's Government, and as it contained
some very startling statements in connection with the distress
exis'ing at Stockport, lie would read a portion it to the
meeting. It was therein slated—

That the amount required for the relief of the r0r,in.1836
and 1837 w,s. 2,628/.; in 1841 and 1842, 7,120 L

" That since 1830 more than half the master spinners ,have
failed ; 29 firms, including 40 partners, are in this list • the
machinery of 17 large mills has been sold by auction, and that
cf four nulls by private contract ; eight firms have effected a
composition with their creditors.

"That there are now standing untenanted not less than 3,000
dwelling houses, besides mills, warehouses, and public houses.
" 'flint in one township alone, viz., Heaton Norris, there
are 3,500 houses, out of which there are untenanted about 700,
there are also nearly 800 compounded for, and 1,000 excu►ed
from paying rates on the ground of their being too poor ; su that
the burden of paying the rates falls on no more than 1,000 per-
sons, many of these persons being in as bad, and in some in-
stances a worse condition, than the paupers themselves.
" That in February last, there was collected within a few
weeks, by sonic generous and humane individuals, the sum of
5,0001. for the relief of the suffering poor.
" That in the week ending 19th February, 184'2, the number
of families relieved was 3,473 ; . the number of individuals,
14.4.24 ; the average income per head being 9d. 9- 10ths.
" That owing to the loss of wages consequent. upon the stop-
' ping of mill, the reduction in the rate of wages by lost time, by
reduced number of hands, and other causes, the Maness to the
inhabitants of the borough is 5,4831. per week.
' That cottage and messuage property has depreititred in
value, in some instance., as much as 130 per cent., and the
average may be fairly taken at 75 per cent.
" That there arc now walking the streets, for want of em-
ployment, no less than 5,000 persons, who are suffering the
extreme of human misery, and privations of the most alermiag
nature."

The document concluded with these words :—" We, tour
memorialists, respectfully call your attention to these facts,
and trust that steps will be immediately taken to relieve the
unparalleled distress existing in this borough, and your me-
morialists will, as in duty bound, pray, 8,:c."
The only means adopted to relieve this distress (continued
Mr. Campbell) was the issuing of a Royal Letter to the bishops,
and clergy, to make a collection in the churches and chapels
throughout the country.—( Hear. ) But any mere temporary
relief, however liberal might be the subscriptions, was wholly
inadequate to the necessities of the people.—( Hear, hear. )
In his opinion, it was not money alone, but land which
they required—land, skill, labour, and capital, from which
all wealth must be raised.—(Hear, hear.) There was no ne-
cessity for either Englishmen, Irishmen, or Scotchmen, leaving
their native country in search of subsistence in the colonies.
—(1-1..ar, hear.) They had more than an abundance for
all in this country; they had land sufficient, even with the
present knowledge of agriculture—which was as yet in its in-
fancy—to maintain, according to the best authorities, a popula-
tion of 120 millions, and whilst there was this abundance of
means, let them take care that it was speedily and effectually
applied to relieve the distresses of the country.—(Cheers.)
Dr. SLEIGIf said, differing as he did on many points with
their repected Chairman, he could not resist the temptation
afforded to him by this meeting, to raise his voice against the
apparent callousness evinced by those who ought to come
forward to relieve the distresses of their countrymen. He had
supported the present Ministry at the late general election,
because he believed they would provide for the wants of the
people, instead of which, they proposed to continue the infernal
Poor-law, and were continuing the still more infernal factory
system of infant labour.—( Hear, hear.) He desired to take
that opportunity of expressing how much he was ashamed of
having been instrumental in bringing that Al inistry into power ;
it had taught him a new lesson, that until the people were fairly,
freely, and fully represented, there was no hope for the people.
—(Cheers.) The only remedy which had been proposed by
the present Government was one which must bring increased
distress on the honest operatives and woe kmen of the country,
introducing, as it must, a system of foreign competition, which
could not but tend to reduce the wages of the artisan.—(blear,
hear.) If the people were fairly represented, such a remedy
could never be proposed. Let the people declare their opinions
on that subject, and numbers of influential men would acme
forward to direct their energies in the right course. lle would
not further detain the meeting. He could not avoid taking
advantage of an opportunity of refuting 'sentiments which he
believed to be injurious to the beat interests of the country.
The resolution was then put from the chair, and carried
unanimously.
Mr. FLENIIVG then rose to propose the following resolution :
" hat none of the ordinarily proposed measures financial,
commercial, political, or theological—are competent to effect
substantial permanent relief from the increasng
and sufferings of the middle and working classes."
Before he proceeded to endeavour to substantiate ibis proposi-
tion, he begged to state that while pointing a tit the defects of
the propositions to which he should refer, he did not do so in a
fault-finding spirit, nor did he accuse any individual of die-
honesty ; or of a want of benevolence ; or of a desire to hat ass

die pe-oPle in the alarming state in which they were described
to be ; he believed they acted as they did, simply because they
knee no better.—( Hear, bear.) During the Parliamentary
recess he had had an eprort unity of conversing at considerable
length with many of the leading Ministers of the country, and
he found each and all of them most anxious to do the best they
could for the people, but they were hampered in their movements
by the particular int erests:and feelings ef their respective parties.
The distress in which the country was placed had brought for-
ward a great. many doctors, every one believing that his own
nostrum la ould cure the disease. The remedies proposed might be
placed under the head of financial, commercial, political, and theo-
logical. It would not require much logic to show that the finan-
cial remedies proposed would not afford any substantial or perma-
nent relief to the working classes.—( Hear, hear.) The single
measure that the present Ministry had proposed could not be for
the permaxent relief of the people, inasmuch as the Ministers
themselves said that the measure was only to last five years. But
would the measure be a remedy at all ? They had heard that
the working classes were by thousands living on charity, and that
bones had been sent them from America. '1 he imposing of this
new tax, although it did not touch the people directly, would not
benefit them at all. Would the imposing of three per vent.
on all incomes above 14)01. a.year benefit the middle classes?
No, it would not.—( Hear, hear.) Ile would not dwell longer
on that point, but would come to the commercial remedies
proposed. One was, that a reduction should be made in
the tariff, which was advocated by a large party ; another
was the free importation of foreign corn ; and another, taking
ay ay the people to make food for themselves in some
other country than this. Now here they hail three plans. One
was for the introduction of foreign manufactures and raw mate-
rials ; another was the introduction of foreign food ; and
the last to take away the people to other countries to make
food for themselves. Every one of these propositions proceeded
upon a fundamental error. It had been represented at public
meetings and in Parliament, in pamphlets, and in every other
shape, that this country was unable to support its own popula-
tion. Upon that assumption they had these propositions to
bring foreign food, or to send the people away to make food
fur themselves; and to these propositions, the answer he gave
was, that they were unnecessary, and would not prove a relief
to the country. They had heard it stated that night, and the
statement rested on the authority of nearly all the writers
on political economy, beginning with Mr. 111‘Culloch—s
that this country possessed ample means, without touching
the waste and uncultivated lands, to support a population of no
less than a hundred millions of people. They had now but
twenty-seven millions, so that no man of common sense
could say that this country was unable to support her
population. He would not. go into the examination of
the details of the measure, because if a measure was
bad in its first principle, it was no use going into
its details.—(L ) If a man were to begin a calculation
by supposing that one and one made three, and made all his
calculations upon that supposition, the moment they detected
that supposition to be wrong—the moment they demonstrated
this, no matter how precise and complete the following ealce-
lations, they would say it was of no use following the calculation
as the beginning was wrong, and consequently the rest must be
so.—( Hear. ) Upon this fundamental principle did he attack
this proposition, and he called upon the Government to prove
that this country was unable to maintain its own population.
If that could not be done the question was decided at once, for
if the country could support its population there was no neces-
sity for an importation of foreign food, or of sending the people
from their native land to make food for themselves abroad.
But he objected to the latter plan still more then the former
one. By a document which he had received from Livorpsol.
stating the present eondition of Vauxhall Ward, eontainings,ooo
persons, he found letters had been received from emigration agents
which stated that the proportion of English emigration to that
of Irish used to be, in former years, one to three, but that the
last 3 ear it was very much altered ; and he found that nos
there were as many English as Irish leaving this country for
the United States, and who were they that emigrated ? The'
very poor could not go, as they had not the means, rind
the very rich did not go, for they did not need to do so at
present.—( Hear.) Well, then, who were the parties, leav-
ing the country? He would tell them who they were.
They were the small farmers and small capitalists of every trade.
The industrious, the ski ful, the honest artizan, and mechanie
also, were obliged to go, with their little savings,out of the
country, to other countries, to find that employment and that
kind treatment which was denied to themit home. These veer&
the parties who would place foreigners in still greater minuet it ion
with us. They went abroad to assist their best rivals ;to en-
able America to rival the manufacture= of this country, enabling
them to bring more o ealth into the market, sues successfully rum.
pete with the manufacturers at Borne.—( Hear, :hear.)
He was happy to have the opportunity of seeing before him a
metropolitan audience—men who would reflect on the subject,
and argue from first principles, and examine the blunders of
the leaning parties in the country—those at whose disposal the
immense wealth and energy, and natural resources of the
country were placed. They must begin to take irate their
con.ideration the inutility of the nonsense nightly spoken
in both Houses of Parliament. He had lately listened
to some of the speakers assuming airs of wisdom,
yet dealing
lorttt such absurd fallacies, so foolish in themselves, that the
were enough to make a person blush that he lived in the nineteenth
century•—( Cheers.) He now came to another question, which
was the political remedy. The political and theologieal remedies
were two ticklish points to touch Olson ; still, as he stated
at the contusentement, he did not intend to attack
motives. lie hoped those who were opposed to him on these
points would hear him with the same patience, speaking against
their opinions, as they had when he
was speaking in favour of
the views they themselves entertained. Now, the Learned Gen-
tleman, Dr. Sleigh, spoke of the evils of the. representation.
They had, a great number of parties in this country who were
agitating about this. They had the Complete Suffrage paitY,and
they had the universal Sufrrsge party, or Chart ists.—( Cheers. )
lie had no doubt those parties meant well. He gave them all
honour for the determination, perseverance, and patriotism
for so he might call it,—with which they had borne untlincles
:egly so much suffering in support of their opinions. He was
happy in knowing, and proud to know, some of the leaders
of almost all the sections of this party in the country, and this
made him feel that those men did not intentionally
'o wrong. This made him believe that nearly every one
of them was. honest, . and sincere in the opinions
they held as. to . the—political remedy spciety required