The Sun.
London, England, 1842-07-08 00:00:00

refused to accede to that request. and a deputaiiiin from the
Executive Committee had gone to Mr. B , for the purpose of
strengthening him, if necessary, in his purpose, as no business
would be of more importance than that which Mr. B.'s mo-
tion involved.

The CHAIRMAN announced that the Delegates would as-
semble this evening at half-past six, at Brown's Hotel, Palau.-
yard.
Mr. GRoerne, of Bury, came forward for the purpose of
laying before the meeting a statement of the distress at pre-
sent existing in the town of Bury ; the distress existing was '
unparatlelee. The state of the country was most
appalling, and he saw no chance of their obtaining re-
dress from that Legislature which pretended to regulate the
destinies of this great nation.—(Cheers.) He wished that
gentlemen who nude speeches would dwell mote upon the
means likely to alleviate the distress, than upon the details of
that distress.—( Cheers.) No impression, he was convinced,
was likely to be made upon Sir R. Peel or his party. They
acknowledged the distress, and pretended to sympathise with it.
He (Mr. Grundy) judged of men by their actions, not by their
words, and he was satisfied that Sir Robert Peel and his party
cared not for the starvation of the people, so long as they could
drain them of the resources.—(Cheets.) It was high time for
the people of this country to coalesce and demand by firm re-
monstrance and with uplifted hands, the restoration of their
rights.—( Loud cheers.) The country was dissatisfied with the
milk-ane- water system that had been so long pursued.—(Loud
cheers.) There were now many persons who were Corn-law
repealcrs. What had made them so ? Why, the prese
sure upon their pockets, upon their bodies, and upon
their circumstances.—(Loud cheers.) He had foreseen,
in IEIS, what would be the consequences of this law ; for
a long series of years he had stood almost alone in his opposition
to it, and when he now saw the numbers who, since that
period, had joined in the opposition to it, he felt sure that there
was sufficient energy and independence in the country to reno-
vate all that reqsired renovating.—(Cheers.) Let them,
therefore, join heart and hand in the struggle. Let them have
a long pull, a strong pull, and a pull altogether—(Loud
cheers)—but in order to do that, they must be with the people.
Why did they object to join the people on account of any mere
small differences of opinion—because they did not like this
leader, or because that demagogue had too much influence ? If
the general views and feelings of men were right, they should
join them without looking out for little foibles. They should
forget and forgive. and all join together in the cause of the
country.—(Loud cheers.) If they went on as they were
going on at present, something serious must eventually happen,
unless it were averted by the good sense of the people forcing
the Government to adopt the measures necessary for their re-
lief.--( Cheers.) The township of Bury was in a state of the
deepest distress. The number of houses unoccupied amounted
to 469, the rateable value of which was 3,661/. Bs. 6d. There
were unoccupied of houses of the annual rent of 5/. and under,
331 ; from 5/. to 10/., 75 ; from 10/. to 20/., 37 ; from 201. to
30/., 12 ; from 30/. to 40/., 3 ; from 501. to 60/., 1. There
were besides, 8 unoccupied warehouses. 1 timber yard, and
I print work. The rate payable upon the rental of the unoc-
cupied property at the present time would amount to :3811. 7s.
The number of empty houses was increasing every week, and
three or four families frequently inhabited one cottage, for the
sake of economy. Rents were from 20 to 30 per cent. lower
than they were in 1838 and•lB39. In 1839 there was a poor-
rate of 10d, in the pound; an 1840 it was 2s. ld.; in 1841,
2s. ld., leaving the parish in debt nearly 3,000/., which it would
require a further rate of Is. 3d. to liquidate, and in 1842 it would
require a rate of 3s. 4d. in the pound to get the parish out of debt.
The total amount of the poor-rates in 1839 was 1,8471. Bs. 7d. ;
in 1840, 4,709/. 7s. sd. ; in 1841, 4,884/. 7s. I Id. The number
of persons-relieved as vagrants were, from June 30 to Decem-
ber 31, 1840, 481; from January 2, 1841, to March 25, 1842,
2,525; and from March 28 to June 27, 1842, only three
months, 777. One of the great foundries in Bury was the
property of Messrs. Walker. The amount of wages paid at the
i foundry n 1835 was 24,414/. ; in 1837, 19,914 ; 1838, 27,200/. ;
1839, 25,784; 1840, 17,709; 1841, 13,083. A corresponding
diminution had t aken place in the amount of wages paid by the
machine-shop of Walker, Smith. and Co. In 1836 they had
paid 22,039/. wages, and in 1841 only 10,5461. There were
nine mills and works unoccupied, which when employed found
work for 2,000 hands. Not more than one-half the meat was
slaughtered in Bury now that there was two years ago. Per-
sons with small capital, who were a most important class, were
daily emigrating, and 5,000/. had been taken out of Bury by
persons emigrating to America within the last six months. I'he
depreciation of property was dreadful. A mill which, five years
ago had cost 23,000/., had been offered for sale, and only
6,0001. offered for it. Another manufactory, which in 1841)
cost 15,000/., had since been purchased for 6,0001. A large
spinning establishment, which had cost 40,000/., had been
offered for sale a few months since, and the highest bona fide
bidding offered had been 4,000/. The distress and embarrassment
of the shopkeepers and tradespeople was dreadful, in conse-
quence of the distress existing among the working people, and
general ruin would be the consequence, unless some alteration
took place. He wished he knew how to bring about the
alteration.
Mr. G. TimeiesoN—Will you pay the Income-tax?
Mr. Gunner—No, I will not. —(Loud cheers.) I will go
to any peaceable length with any person.—(Cheers.) He had
received a letter from a block-maker, who had served his
time with the father of the Premier, Sir R. Peel.—( Cheers. )
The writer stated that in 1835-36 and 37, when food was
cheap their calico printers were in full employ meat, and earned
from 1/, to 1/. ss. a week, but now the average was not above
3s. 6d. or 4s. a week, and that not above one-third of the time
was employed, and this was a trade in which no machinery had
been introduced. The writer attributed all this misery to the
accursed Corn-laws and other monopoly laws of the country.—
( Loud cheering.) In the township of Hassorlh, which was
not in so desperate a state as some of the districts, there had
been, within the last two years, eight cotton factories
totally stopped and six working short time. The poor-rates
had increased frcm 1,601/. in 1835 to 3,767/. in 1842. They
attributed all the misery and wretchedness they were suffer-
ing to the atrocious, unjust, and cruel Corn•laws.—(Cheers.)
Something must be done, either rough or smooth, to reaiedy this
state of things, or something dreadful would follow. They
should demand of the Legislature to do them right. He was not
a petitioner ; he was
.a remonstrant.— (Loud cheers.) He
was not a beggar—(Cheers)—he only wanted his own—
( Cheers) -and not that which belonged to any one else—(Con-
tinued cheering)—and he never would rest satisfied while laws
were made for the protection of one class only to the detriment
and robbery of the remaining part of the country.—(Loud
cheers.) He had no objection to tell Sir Robert Peel that he
would submit no longer to have his property ground under foot,
and that what he had gained by industry he would not hare
taken from him by robbery.—( Loud cheers. )
Sir. THOMPSON said that Mr. R. R. Moore, of Manchester,
was charged to present to the meeting a report from Bolton.
The Rev. Mr. FERGUSON said that one thing had fallen
from Mr. Bury which he would not like to go forth to the
public. He (Mr. Ferguson) was a man of peace and a
Christian minister, and Mr. Bury had said they must lift their
hands. Now this could mean nothing but physical force. He
hoped this was not meant.
he (Mr. Bury) had no objection
Mr. Buhr rose amidst loud cheers and said the last speaker
;one too. He was as much a n.an
two&
ts
eal ptrheeamc htehra
to
he
thee imGd tb/sepeenl
of 'sew as any man living. What he meant was that they must
show ast attitude of determination. He did not mean lifting his
hand in the sense that Mr. Ferguson supposed. What he
meant-by lifting their hand was to show that have their rights
they would.—(Cheers.)
Mr. R. R. 5100'E, of Manchester, then addressed the
meeting. He said, they had heard a great deal of over-pro-
duction in this country. They were told that the great mis-
chief which they were suffering under was caused by this—
too much clothes for the people to wear—too much manufac-
tures. Now he had in his hand a very extraordinary reply to
this cry of over production. He had a shirt which had been
worn by .a man in Bolton for five years. It was patched and
mended in all directions. Now, if there was over-production
in the country, it was very extraordinary that a man should be
obliged to wear a coarse cotton shirt for five years. He would
read a letter, giving an account of the condition of the man,
and the state of his family generally : —The history
of this shirt is as follows :—" Last week, June 29, 1842,
Dr. Hodgkin, of London, was desirous to see the state of
some of the poor families in Bolton. The first house he en-
tered was that of John Mayoh, of Hulme- street, bed-quilt
weaver, hut now out of employment; his wife was repairing the
collar of this shirt. She was a person of delicate and rather
interesting exterior. The house appeared cleanly ; on her
knee was a baby of fifteen months' old, which she was suckling,
alleging, that though it was time it should be weaned, she did
not like that it. should begin to partake any.of that scanty por•
tion of food which the rest of the family required." He feel
known such instances himself. He had visited within the last
six weeks twenty families, and in many instances he found the
mother suckling her baby, and the child aettully starving at
its mother's breast. " The husband being absent, she said
that their family consisted of her husband and self, with four
children; that only one of the family, one of the daughters,
was in work; that she was a power-loom weaver and earned
3s. 6d. per week, and this sum, together with Is. 6d. which
her husband had earned with jobbing, making 55., was all they
had to live upon. Her bosom becoming exposed whilst suck-
ling the child, it was obvious that she had no linen upon herself,
and on the inquiry being put, she stated that she had not now
for several weeks possessed a chemise that she could put on.
Inquiries have since been made by a neighbour, touching the
circumstances of this family, and the case is fully borne
out—the person who undertook the inquiry observing,
that there are people worse off than these.' It is
deserving of observation that the shirt sent herewith has
been in wear these five years by the father of a family ; that
the mother is without linen ; that their principal subsistence
comes from the earnings of a daughter, who is working at
power-looms for a manufacturer of shirting,s ; that that manu-
facturer has frequently had, and probably now has, his ware-
house crammed full of skirtings and other goods, for as hich
he has no sale. And yet there are persons found, even
within ti.e observation of these melancholy circumstances,
who audaciously allege that the sufferings of these people
arise from over-production.' "—(Cries of " Hear, hear. ')
Over production I Was the only over-production that of goods?
—(Cheers.) There was an over production of meddling with
the trade and commerce of the country.--(Cheers.) No
warehouse in the country would be full, nor gloom unworked in
the kingdom, if they were not bound by the laws which kept
the food of the world from the starving people of England.
(Cheers.) Was it to be wondered at that the warehouses were
full in this country. How could the people buy shirts ; how
could this poor man do it? All his earnings went to buy bread.
America was not allowed to give the people food for the shirt ings
they made. The law-makers were not obliged to go ragged.
They sold bread, andwould as long as there were peopleto buy.
They rolled in purple and fine linen, while the people were star-
ving. He(Mr. Al.) was glad the question had been asked with re-
spect to physical force. They wanted no physical foree—they
wanted no such thing. Of all weaknesses dreamt of, physical
force was the: most absurd. What they must do must be to
withdraw their support from an unjust Government. The
strength of the Government lies in their physical force. They
(the delegates) had been charged with exciting the people.
They had said that Sir Robert Peel had had the power to give
the people food, and he had brought forth nothing. If that was
exciting the people, then it was the duty of every Chris-
tian and human- being to do so. It would be criminal
not to do so. The physical force of the Government lay in the
y
Horse-Guards and the police; but the people were becoming
eulightened on the subject, and they would be no longer led
by the Government. Sir. Thompson had submitted a plan to
the meeting. He ( Mr. Moore) wished to see the burden of
carrying the corn-law thrown upon the peg (Cheers. )
They must not say, " Why did riot the Parliament do it ?"
They must not say, " Whv did not the Corn-law League do
it?" The people themselves roust do it. They must with •
e.—
draw their support from the Government. They could not go
on if the people refused to use taxed artieles,—(Cheers.) For
himself, foe the last five months, he had drank ;imbue; but
trilk and spring water; and at his breakfast he took his cup of
the First Lord of an empty Treasui y. If he were
so, he would give up
water with pleasure, in the hope of some day seeing t eel
hie post directly. They were
bound to obey the law, but they could obey it in their
own way; they were bound to pay
the taxes ; there were
two ways of paying a letter, either by stamping it or paying the
postage. Let the law take its course, arid let the goods be
seized- Let them do the same thing with respect to the In-
come-tax, that revenue introduced to prop up monopoly. It
was said that there would have been an equivalent on tho re-
duction of the duty on thealtry articles in the tariff ; but
this was a mere pretence. The Government intended to do
p
nothing—they had done nothing—and now added to the other
taxes they had an lucome-tax, which was to support laws ape
were injuring the trade of the country, and disgracing the coun-
try abroad. They 'must Pay, the Income-tax in the least agree •
abie way . to the , Government- possible.—(Loud cheers, )
He liked keepiiig within the law, and it was per-
fectly legal to say let your goods be seized.—(Cheers.)