The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-05-28 00:00:00

an English merchant was an honest, honourable man, inca-
pable of fraud. He was then too highly-minded to take ad-
vantage of the poverty or ignorance of those with whom he
dealt. Now, the case is quite reversed, and nothing is so
common as to hear persons in trade declare—" it is impos-
sible to gain a livelihood, if we do as we would be done by."
And who are the persons who have thus changed the cha-
racter of our merchants ? Look over the list of your free-
traders, and at the very top you will read their names!
Judge, then, of their motives by their actions. It is they
who, not content with one branch of trade, usurp the whole.
They are like birds of prey hovering over the carcases of our
ruined manufacturers in every market. They think it no
dishonour to buy of sinking men as cheap as they can, know-
ing full well that they are thus robbing their creditors, and
are " greedily gaining of their neighbours by extortion, hav-
ing forgotten God and his commandment,—to do unto others
as we would they should do unto us ;" entirely forgetti9
that " He will smite His hand at their dishonest gain.'
These men employ their harpies to seek up those who are in
difficulties, and taking advantage of their necessities, they
buy their- " stocks" at half their value. They then sell these
stolen goods to the shopkeepers at a very low price, compared
with their real value ; and thus they reduce the price of every
article, and compel the respectable shopkeepers and manu-
facturers to lower their prices and their wages, until it is im-
possible to allow the artisans such remunerations for their
excessive labour as will enable them to live. The 'mull:dee-
turer is then driven to make deceptive goods ;—hence the
reason why now it isimpossible to buy any article, even down
to a skein of silk or thread, which is worth using. Next fol-
lows the bankruptcy of the shopkeepers. Many will read
this letter, who from sad experience know that all this is
true, but who did not before know that the free-trade prin-
ciple was the cause of it.
I remember once hearing, from the lips of one of the most
respectable manufacturers in Yorkshire, the following anec-
dote, showing how these thieves commenced their operations
some five and twenty years ago. He told me that he was
then in London. when an acquaintance of his said, " Mr. —,
you understand the quality of woollen goods, and can spare
£5OOO out of your concern; I will put £5OOO to yours, and
formant asked his plan, and he was answered " You shall go
with me into the city to-night, and I will show you how it is
to be done." They went in the dark to one of the streets
running from Cheapside—(in those days the harpies were
ashamed of their trade: now they sin in the face of the day,
and boast of their prosperity in parliament !—they entered a
warehouse—there was the poor manufacturer with his bale
of goods—my friend examined them, and declared that they
were cheap at the invoice price. The poor manufacturer was
in distress—the bale of goods was worth £145 ; £7O must be
had next morning, or a prison would have been his home.
The " wholesale money-maker" satisfied himself of the just
charge. He took his pen, and wrote at the foot of the in-
voice, "By 50 per cent. discount for cash, £72 10s." Then
handing the document to the trembling manufacturer, he
said, " I don't want the goods—you want the money—you
can have the amount in the morning—l shall give no more."
The result was, that the offer of one-halt the value was
taken; and these goods were afterwards sold to the shops,
and were shown to other manufacturers, in order to reduce
the prices of their goods. My friend said, as he went away,
" Is this the way you would teach me to make money by
wholesale ? I would rather take a pistol and turn highway-
man ; his business is honourable and gentlemanly, in com-
parison with such cowardice, meanness, and cold-blooded
cheating as I have seen to-night." I need not say that my
informant resisted the luring bait. The other followed the
unholy gain, got rich, and now calls himself an English
merchant! My friend, who told me this fact, was then
worth at least £40,000 ! Honesty, industry, and capital
were unable to stand against this free trade monster—he lost
all—.-took refuge in the Gazette, and since then, a broken
heart has lodged him in an untimely grave ! But the whole-
sale robber has been in parliament
I have known these slaughter-house masters (that is the
name that they are best known by) pilfer from a needy manu-
facturer 1000 pieces of cloth, avowedly cheap at 6s. a yard,
for 3s. 9d. a yard ! and then call it honest dealing ! If such
cheating cannot be prevented by law, your estates will not
long remain your own, for see what is the consequence to
society of such fraud and robbery. Thirty years ago, Saddle-
worth was the most prosperous and thriving clothing district
in the empire. The weavers then worked eight or nine hours
a day, and were comfortable and happy, and earned very good
wages. "In the last twenty years," says a friend of mine,
who is your tenant, " I can count at least eighty respectable
Saddleworth domestic manufacturers, who would now be
glad to obtain a day's wages for a day's work, and many of
them are reduced to pauperism I!!—Then, it was no uncom-
mon thing to see the miller's pony conveying to the weaver's
cottage a pack of flour and of meal—then, you saw a cart
load of coalS, every now and then, delivered at the weaver's
door. Now, an ass can carry all the coals they buy ; and a
little child conveys a stone or half a stone of flour or meal on
her head in a pillow-case—this small quantity being all that
they can procure; and this, trifling as it is, is too often pro-
cured on credit." My friend adds, "If you would seek for
the names of the old, respectable, and formerly wealthy ma-
manufacturers of Saddleworth, and their children, you must
search for them amongst the mill operatives, the paupers, or
the emigrants" ! ! In the neighbourhood of your Yorkshire
estates, on the moor edges, hand-loom weavers are happy to
obtain carrion—yes, sir, carrion for their food, after working
fourteen hours a-day !
This is not all, the domestic manufacturers and weavers
are not the only sufferers by this ravenous system of free
trade. A few years ago, a large mill-owner, who knew all
about if, assured me, boastingly, " It is astonishing how
many of the estates of Lancashire and Cheshire have their
title-deeds lodged in Manchester."
It is well known that the authors of so much misery—the
producers of so much poverty—the perpetrators of such
wrongs, are the noisy brawlers for the liberal—free trade—
principle.

THE FREEMEN'S MUNICIPAL RIGHTS.

Prom the Norfolk Times,

We have been favoured with copies of the following letters
addressed to the Committee of the Norwich Freemen, on
the subject of the restoration of their municipal rights, and
the support, by petitions, of Mr. Fitzroy Kelly's bill on that
subject, to which are appended an opinion of the present
Attorney-General :

" Liverpool, May 5, 1841

" Sir,—Although from a pressure of engagements, and
from ill health, I have been obliged to resign the chair of the
Tradesmen's Conservative Association of this town, yet I
have much pleasure in forwarding your letter to Mr. Ledson,
the active and able chairman of the Operative Association,
and I have requested him to lay your letter before the asso-
ciation at its next meeting, or if that should not be soon, he
will probably call a special meeting on such an important
subject. I know it has engaged their attention, and I trust
your communication will have the effect of inducing them to
take active steps to bring their just claims before parliament.
It is absurd and insulting to the freemen of England to waste
night after night in attempting to enfranchise the Popish
serfs in Ireland, who will be driven up to vote according to
the dictation of a priesthood, who are inimical to liberty of
conscience and enemies of the Protestant institutions of our
country, while the supporters of such a system would deny
to the intelligence of the English mechanic the right to
which they are entitled by birth and servitude.
" I heartily wish you success, and shall be, glad to lend my
humble assistance to aid Mr. Kelly's praiseworthy efforts in
this town, in any way which my operative brethren may
suggest.
" I trust that the loyalty and Protestants of Britain will,
with united voices, drive from the helm the present miserable
government, who are doing all in their power to ruin the
land, and prostrate its inhabitants at the feet of papal Rome.
" The operatives of Norwich may rest assured, that their
loyal efforts will be beneficial to the country, and will, ere
long, be attended with success.
" The horizon brightens, and a better prospect lies before
us. " I am, Sir, your faithful servant,
" SAMUEL HOLME.
"To Mr. James Green, Secretary to the Operative
" Freemen's Committee, Pope's Head Inn, Norwich."

" Operative Conservative Rooms, Houghton-street,
Liverpool, May 6, 1841.
•g Sir,—Samuel Holmes, Esq., ex-chairman of the Liver-
pool Tradesmen's Conservative Association has handed your
letter to him of the 3d instant to Daniel Ledson, Esq.,
chairman of this society, who has directed me to reply to
it by assuring you that this society, which is composed prin-
cipally of freemen, or what is now termed old burgesses, will
render you its most hearty assistance in restoring freemen to
their pristine rights and privileges ; and that we may the
better do so, I have his directions to request that you will
furnish me with a copy of your petition and such further in-
formation as may tend to further the objects in view.
" I am, sir, yours most respectfully,
" THONI AS JONES, Honorary Secretary.
" Mr. James Green, Secretaryto the Freemen's Society,
Pope's Head Inn, Norwich."

"391, Strand, London

" Sir,—l hare received your letter in London this day, and
will take care to put it into the hands of the conservatives of
Shrewsbury, who, lam sure, will attend to it. lam sorry I
cannot myself in consequence of being obliged to remain in
London for a week or more.
" I remain, sir, your much obliged seryant,
" JOHN FRAIL,
" Secretary to the Conservative Club. Shrewsbury."

" Committee Room, Pope'e Head Inn,
Norwich, May 10, 1841.
" Sir,—l am instructed by Mr. Edward Traxton, chair-
man of the Norwich Operative Freemen's Committee, to
transmit his sincere thanks for the promptitude with which
you forwarded my letter of the 3d instant to Daniel Ledson,
Esq., and for the constitutional and excellent observations
contained in your letter to me of May sth, which I shall lay
before the committee this evening.
" I have also to state, that at the request of the chairman
of the Liverpool Tradesmen's Conservative Association, I
have by this day's post sent a copy of the Norwich petition
for the restoration of the municipal rights of the freemen,
&c.

" I am, sir, your most obedient servant,
"JANIES GREEN,

" Secretary to the Operative Freemen's Committee.
" To Samuel Holme, Esq., Operative Conservative Rooms,
Houghton-street, Liverpool."

Nono,rwcichhairMmaany
010f,th1e8.41.
" Committee Room, Pope's Head Inn,
" Sir,—Mr. Edward Traxton, operative
Freemen's Committee, has directed me to express his grate-
ful thanks for the willing and hearty assistance offered to the
committee by Daniel Ledson, Esq., Ch
airman of the Liver-
pool Operative Association ; and in obedience to his instruc-
tions and your request, I have enclosed a copy of the petition
for the restoration of the municipal rights of the freemen of
this city.
" Provided the Norfolk Chronicle is filed in Liverpool,
you are respectfully referred to the copies of the respective
dates April 11th and May 9th, 1840, in which is recorded the
whole proceedings at two public meetings, each attended by
several thousands persons upon that important subject. It
is desirable that you should read those reports, that you may
have a full knowledge of the course that has been pursued by
this committee. Lest there are any vested rights belonging
to the freemen of Liverpool which may have been affected by
the new Municipal Corporation Act, I have also enclosed a
copy of the present Attorney-General's opinion on a case
submitted by the corporation of York, in which you will see
that property of that description is not now legally protected,
and in fact that the corporation of York resigned the trust
of all the lands, &c., belonging to the freemen of that city in
consequence of that opinion.
" I am, Sir, your very obedient Servant,
" JAMES GREEN,
" Secretary to the Operative Freemen's Committee.
" Thomas Jones, Esq., Operative Conservative Rooms,
Houghton-street, Liverpool."

The following questions were submitted to Sir John Camp.
hell, in 1836, by the corporation of York