The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-12-31 00:00:00

THE ANTI-CORN-LAW LEAGUERS

We have received from Mr. Oastler an impression of the
number of the Fleet Papers which will be published to-mor-
row. In this publication Mr. Oastler proves, from the most
incontrovertible evidence, that in 1834, when there was dis-
tress enough to melt hearts of stone, the leaguers showed
no sympathy with the starving victims of manufacturing op-
pression, but because this distress had not reached them-
selves, they chose to represent the manufacturing operatives
as prosperous and happy. At that period Mr. Oastler showed,
before a committee of the House of Commons, the real state
of things ; and in the paper before us he republishes his evi-
dence. His testimony gave rise to a controversy, and was
proved to be true. Mr. Oastler then proceeds as follows :
" Do you ask me why I re-publish these sayings of mine ?
I answer, it is useful, now, to remind you, as well as the
leaguers, that when misery thus abounded in our neighbour-
hood, because it had not reached their " order," they were
not only silent, but, on the contrary, informed the govern-
ment, (and thus deceived you, and made you think that I
was mistaken), " that the manufacturing districts were in a
state of great prosperity." The leaguers now, forsooth, lay
claim to humanity—where was their pity then ? It was
shown by friend Ashworth sending to Chadwick, for your
" surplus" population, to reduce still further the wages of
these poor hand-loom weavers ! representing that the manu-
facturers were short of hands (whilst thousands were walking
the streets and lanes, " because no man had hired them"),
and that the manufacturing districts were a modern Goshen !
In consequence of those lies, (they were nothing less,) hun-
dreds of the queen's honest and industrious subjects have
since been murdered ! Those murders were perpetrated by
law, under the system of migration, which was suggested by
those two eminent leaguers, Ashworth and Greg.
" There was the corn-law then, as now—corn was not very
high priced ; wheat was I believe, 465. to 50s. per quarter—
still, there was all that misery ! Bat, when I published that
true account of the destitute condition of the manufacturing
operatives in my own neignbourhood, who are the parties
that then found fault with me for publishing those facts ?

Shame to tell it, but it is true—they were those very persons
who now pretend to feel so keenly for the poor, and are raving
mad about ' distress'—the anti-corn-law Leaguers ! They
yelled at me like mad men. No name was too bad for them
to give me—and why ? Because they then thought that they
were making large profits by that misery, and they wished
to hush its moan ! They could not afford to be ' honest,'
then, though ' out of office.' When I told them, as I often
did, THAT THEIR TURN WOULD COME NEXT!' they gnashed
their teeth at me, and ' wished a bullet through my heart !'
Those were their very words.—How many of them are now
fallen from their high estate, and sunk into nothingness,
having become the victims of their own pet system, free trade,
whilst its jaws are wide open to receive the rest. I remember
well, in 1834-5, when that most excellent man, John Fielden,
Esq., M.P., himself a large mill-owner and a most extensive
manufacturer, told the parliament of the great distress among
the manufacturing operatives, and proved that thousands
were living upon 2id. per day !' Oh, yes, I cannot forget
how these very leaguers then abused and attempted to ridicule
that good man, and how they set their press to insult me."

We are surprised that there can be complaints in any quar-
ter of a scarcity of money, when it is announced, that Ten
Thousand a Year may now be had at all the booksellers.
DARING ROBBERIES AND BURGLARIES.—We find that
daring robberies and burglaries continue to be perpetrated
in quick succession, in lonely spots throughout the county.
A gang of ruffians at Bacup have been particular), active.
It is stated that on one night within the last fortnight, not
less than five burglaries were committed in that neighbour-
hood. The latest exploit of this gang was on Monday night,
or about two o'clock on Tuesday morning, when the farm-
house occupied by Messrs. Rothwell, two bachelors, was at-
tacked by three armed men, who fired nine shots through
the windows, one of which grazed the side of one of the oc-
cupiers. One of them afterwards forced an entrance into
the house, proceeded to the bedroom, and threatened to
shoot Messrs. Rothwell, if they did not instantly give him
what money they had in their possession. This fellow had
a belt round his waist, from which three pistols were sus-
pended. There were only is. 6d. in the house; and this,
together with Messrs. Rothwells' watches, he carried off.
His confederates kept guard on the outside, while he was
ransacking the interior. The house is situated in Lower
1 Stack, a lonely place about half a mile from Bacup.