The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-11-16 00:00:00

RADICAL DEMONSTRATION AT OLDHAM.

( From the Manchester Guardian.)
The ultra-radicals of Oldham met on Thursday evening
last, on the vacant land called Curzon Ground, in the rear of
the Albion Inn. High-street, by torch light, for the purpose
(according to the announcement of some individuals styling
themselves "the borough political council") of adopting
" the people's charter, the Birmingham national petition,
and to elect a delegate for Oldham, to attend the national
convention." At eight o'clock, the hour fixed for the meet-
ing, about a score of people were on the ground, and two
carts had been procured for the speakers. Shortly after-
wards, a number of young fellows, approaching with burning
torches, crowds of boys and young women from the factories'
were drawn to the spot. A few bands of music, followed by
political union and electioneering flags, formed additional
sources of attraction to the juveniles. The audience did not
exceed, at any period of the proceedings, 25000 or 3000. A
working man from Roytou, named William Taylor, was
called to the chair.

The first resolution, approving of the people's charter, was
moved by Mr. William Fitton, surgeon, of Royton ; andi se-
conded by Mr. Alexander Taylor, provision dealer, of Old-
ham, whose speech chiefly related to men whom he called
land sharks, who bad made enormous profits by the late high
prices of flour: a most appropriate subject of comment for a
flour dealer.

Mr. 11.13. Cobbett made a great parade as to the numbers
assembled, declaring it to be the largest local meeting that
had been held on the subject.
Mr. James Hollady, millwright of Oldham, proposed the
adoption of the Birmingham national petition, in an address
respecting the evils of capital, when applied to diminish the
valte of labour.

Mr. J. L. Quarmby, schoolmaster, seconded the motion,
in a wild philippic against tories and whigs.
Mr. R. J. Richardson, of Manchester, trusted, that if they
did nut obtain their objects in twelve months, they would tell
the tyrants, with some different kind of weapon than torches,
that they would be free.
A boisterous shoUt served to intimate the approach of those
favourites of the physical force radical, O'Connor and Ste-
phens.
Mr. O'Connor gave nearly a repetition of his speech at
Rochdale, announcing they would not wait much more than
a year for universal suffrage; and spoke of annihilation, de-
struction, arms, &C.
Mr. Stephens acquitted himself in his usual style, address-
ing his bearers as the men of a hundred hamlets. The fol-
lowing are specimens of some of his language :—" Our ene-
mies say it is the divine will that men should be miserable ;
if so, the labouring classes have had a sufficient period of
misery; and it is time the other side have their share of mi-
sery, as it is the will of God that all classes be miserable.
You must go to work, then, and make the poor-law commis-
sioners, the landlords, and the mill owners miserable ; and
how are they to be made so? why, by burning down their
mills, blowing out their brains, pulling down the bastiles. I
never told you to do these things; but the new lights, as Cob-
bett called them, have declared it to be God's will that men
be miserable, and it is therefore your duty. in attending to
the divine injunction, to render them so. * * Take
your torches from this meeting, and carry themwhere?
why, to the mills—to the Royal George's—to the weaving
cellars—to the cut chambers—to the counting-houses—aye,,
to the mill owners themselves, and show them that you are-
really an enlightened people—(laughter)—determtned to
throw light en the subject of your rights." The mass of the
meeting did not appear to approve of Stephen's _violent.ex-
c4tfthafter
ingotnats :
prsssions. .
Mr. James Taylor, of Rochdale. delivered. a few, words,.
observing, that the whigs said their scheme of a national
convention was visionary; but they would.find if iotherwise:
An
osfsaern as se.
related torrhimself,thodi
nhe
,at oui
termed
loei would
o n ledr somethingboec
of to tyrants,
people.ria than
n ,
A man of the name of Degan, from Staleyhridge., uttered
anda an
incitementh e death
crowd
t o those
stoeparras,
se, and spokeernd enemiesdestructionlk
round of cheers for Mr. Fielden, M.P.