The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-10-08 00:00:00

THE LEAGUE IN DANGER

There is war—fierce and bitter—just now, amongst the
members of this pure and patriotic body. Mr. Joseph Sturge
has returned from a tour through the United States, with
the impression fixed beneath the rim of his puritanical hat
that his " dear " friend Richard Cobden,—the alpha and
omega of the anti-corn-law agitation—is little better than a
political cheat. The worthy. Joseph has, it seems, subscribed
some two hundred pounds of good sterling gold to advance
the objects of the league ; and has bargained in return for
—what does the reader imagine? For sincerity and straight
forward dealing on the part of the " motley crew " who
compose the league in question. For honesty in devoting
those " monies " to the purpose for which they were sub-
scribed—viz., the agitation of total repeal of the corn laws,
irrespective of the maintenance in power of the Melbourne-
O'Connell ministry. This sincerity and honesty, be is of
opinion, has not been evinced ; and he has therefore set
about pummelling " dear Cobden " in a most unfriendly
style and vows most lustily that he will give the next " mo-
nies " due, to to some charitable institution,—which we sup-
pose he considers as the next best thing to throwing it into
the sea.

As a matter of course the Stockport philosopher has put in
a rejoinder, which, however, is not one, we think, which will
satisfy Mr. Joseph Sturge. Mr. Cobden is of opinion that
the league was justified in supporting an Bs. duty as an in-
stalment of their full demand for total repeal ; but the corn-
dealing Joseph is of opinion that the present system even is
better than an Bs. duty, in which we fully agree with him.
He is of opinion, moreover, that the question between the
manufacturers and the agricultural interest ought to be fought
in fair stand-up fashion; that there should be no skulking;
no hoisting false colours; no jesuitry ; in short Mr.. Joseph
Sturge thinks it not only morally just btit politicallyprudent

in the Anti-Corn-Law League to place their ultimate object—
the ruin of the agriculture of Great Britain—conspicuousl
md intelligibly before the people, in which opinion we nee,

scarcely say that he will not find many of the tricksters with
whom he is " leagued " ready to coincide.
We ourselves, the reader will scarcely doubt, are quite of
Mr. Sturge's way of thinking in this last particular too.
Men really ought not only to keep a fixed object in their own
view, but in that of others as well ; and they ordinarily do
this when the object in question is an honest one. But when
the contrary is the case, they resort, as the advocates of a
fixed duty upon corn have done, to falsehood and fraudulent
concealment. We are glad, therefore, that Mr. Sturge has
so seasonably brought before our notice, and that of the
public, the fact that it is not in reality a fixed duty upon corn
against which we have to contend ; that the question which
is now at issue between the two great parties in the state is

not one as to the degree of protection to be afforded to the
agricultural interests, or the mode in which it is to be afford-
ed ; but that it is one of " protection or no protection"—
that it is, in fact, whether or not we are to lay prostrate our
whole agricultural interests before the wheels of the manu-
facturing juggernaut. Upon such a question—thus plainly
placed before us—need we hesitate now to decide ?

102, Mrs. Thomas Baron, Balton ; 33, George Greaves ; 78,
Sidney Graves, London; 53, Mrs. J. Ransome; 108, R. K.
Shanklin, Chester ; 56, Richard Greenhalgh ; 36, Josiah
Leicester; 115, John Davidson; 100, Charles Garnett; 23,
John Thompson, Broughton ; 114, John Clow, Liverpool ;
8, W. F. Scholefield; 76, the second prize, Miss Emily
Hick, Bolton ; 99, the third prize, Mrg. George Kenworthy,
St. John-street, Manchester ; 90, William Cathrall ; 66,
Henry Brock Hollinshead, Blackburn ; 34, Barton Wood.
It will be seen that 11 prizes out of the 120 come to Li-
verpool; eight to Bolton ; four to London ; three to Stock-
port; and three were won by Joseph Ridway, Esq., of Wall-
suches. Mr. P. R. Arrowsmith, of Bolton, Mr. Thomas
Bradshaw, of Manchester, and Mr. John Marriott, of Liver-
pool, each took two prizes. It is rather remarkable, that
the first prize drawn should be a principal one ; that the next
principal prize (the grand prize) should not appear till the
95th drawing; and that the other two should be drawn con-
secutively—being the 116th and 117th drawings out of 120—
and that they should both be won by ladies. The drawing
occupied about an hour and a half. When all the cards but
one had been drawn, the boy groped in the wheel in vain for
that, and after ten minutes' groping and peeping into the
wheel, its side was forced open, and the card found. The
drawing being over, Mr. S. E. Cottam was called to the
chair, and the thanks of the company were passed by accla-
mation to Mr. Fleming for presiding. Mr. Grundy an-
nounced, that parties not having won prizes might make
choice of their prints at any time. The assembly then sepa-
rated.

The plan adopted by Mr. Grundy for the disposal of these
pictures reflects great credit upon him ; indeed the arrange-
ment throughout was most admirable.

Damp

GRAVES OF GENIUS

CHARLES SWAIN

(From the Literary Gazelle.)

lead, whose living tones filled earth with

d and precious dust has dust at last beer

honour'd names breaded ever of

-they of the laurel-

Some lie beneath the sculptur'd tombs, beneath the holy shade
Of England's old cathedral walls wherein our fathers prayed ;
And marble statues stand around, and o'er them banners

11'd flowers in beauty bend above each hallow'd

And son

on a foreign shore, far from their childhood's