The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-05-24 00:00:00

THE BIRMINGHAM MEETING.

At an early hour on Monday morning, a number of persons,
the owners of carts, wagons, and other vehicles froni which a
view could be obtained, had taken up their positions on the
verge of the arena. The appearance of the hill at this time was
that of a great fair, as far, at least, as regarded the number
of booths and stalls of all kinds. There were several very tall
poles stuck up at different parts on the verge, from which
floated the national colours. This gave a gay and lively ap-
pearance to the whole scene. Up to nearly eleven o'clock, the
number of persons in attendance was comparatively trifling,
and these were for the greater part scattered in small groups
around the arena.
By half-past eleven o'clock the crowd in the arena had in-
creased by many thousands, though still without the arrival of
any of the expected processions. The appearance of the as-
semblage even at this time, was extremely striking. There
were at least 15,000 men, women, and children.
At a quarter to twelve o'clock, the Halesowen and Dudley
unions, preceded by Mr. T. Attwood, jun., and two other gen-
tlemen, dressed in silk scarfs, and accompanied by a numerous
band of music, and a very gay collection of flags and banners
of every colour, came on the ground, and were received with
loud cheers. They took up the position previously marked out
for them. As soon as they had taken their stations, they sent
their flags and banners to be stationed at short distances. The
same course was followed by the other processions as they ar-
rived ; and when the whole were placed, the appearance was
the most gay. and lively that can be imagined.
Immediately following the bands and banners came an open
carriage, in which were Mr. Attwood, Mr. O'Connell, M.P.,
the Rev. Mr. M`Donnell, the Catholic clergyman of Birming-
ham, Mr. Mintz, and one or two others. The stream of persons
who followed soon flowed into every vacant space on the hill,
which was in a few minutes filled in every part. The appear-
ance of the meeting at this moment, from the peculiar manner
in which they stood, owing to the amphitheatrical form of the
ground, was very inaposiug, and, from the mass of human beings
thus brought into such a dense mass, truly awful; we should
suppose that were from 70,000 to 80,000.
.Mr. G. F. McNTz having taken the chair,
Mr. T. ATTWOOD came forward, amidst most tremendous
cheering, to address the assembled multitude. It was with the
deepest regret that he found it necessary to come amongst them
for the purpose of undoing that which he had with them so great
a hand, indeed he might say the principal hand in doing,
namely, the placing the present ministers in power. (Cheers.)
There was no man who went into Parliament more attached to
his Majesty's ministers, or more determined to support them;
than he was conceiving that in doing so he would be support-
ing those who were firmly resolved to exert all the means where-
with power supplied them to extend the liberties and promote
the prosperity and happiness of the country. On the first day
of his entering Parliament he was astonished at the atrocious
and tremendous measures which they proposed with regard to
unhappy Ireland; he was astounded to find that men whom
they (the people of Birmingham and of the midland districts)
had sent into the government for the purpose of confirming the
liberties, and restoring the prosperity of the country, should,
as their first measure, propose to strike a mortal biow at the
liberties of Ireland. (Cries of "Shame!" and "We'll strike
them," and groans.) Ile was not the fool not to know that if
such a measure passed, a similar blow was intended, and
would be levelled at the liberties of England, whenever
the proper opportunity should serve. (Loud cheers.) Hor-
rified and disgusted that such men should thus show them-
selves to be the enemies, instead of the friends of liberty,
he had seen enough to make him lose all confidence in
them ; but that was not all. Before Parliameut had met he
(Mr. -Attwood) had frequent occasion to call upon his Majesty's
ministers, and on such occasions he deemed it right to direct
their attention, confiding as he did in the purity of their inten-
tions, to those duties which they had still to perform towards
rendering the people prosperous and happy. It was for that
purpose only he told them that he had taken steps in procuring
the passing of the Reform Bill; for what would that bill be
without its fruit—the prosperity of the country ? He told them
that, if not followed by that result, it would not satisfy the peo-
ple ; that they would not take a shadow when they should
receive the sulistance. He told them that if they relieved the
industrious classes of this country of the grievous' burdens that
weighed them down, and if they introduced measures that
would promote the general prosperity of the people,—that if,
in fact, it should be found that the extension of the people's
liberties, and their prosperity went hand in hand, everything
would be right, and that the child did nut live who would hear
the voice of discontent raised again in England. But that if,
on the other hand, they did not give prosperity to the country,
the Reform Bill would not satisfy the people of England, and
then they (the Ministers) would he quickly driven from the posts
which they occupied, with shame and with disgrace. (Cheers.)
Those were the remarks which he addressed to his Majesty's
ministers in some of his communications with them when the
reform bill was in progress; their answer to him was, that he
would find in the House of Commons (for they told him that if
the Reform Bill was carried, he of course would be returned to
parliament) one of the first things that would be done would he
to inquire into the distress of the nation, and that justice would
be done to it. They added a request that he would call upon
them to consider what should be done for that purpose. When,
however, he saw the atrocious measures which they brought for-
ward with regard to Ireland, he felt that he would be contami-
nated by calling upon such men, and he had never called on
one of them since. (Cheers.) He saw, he felt, and he was
sure that the immense multitude which he addressed felt also,
that such men were not the friends of the people. (Cheers.)—
It was they, the people of Birmingham and of the midlanddis-
tricts, that had seated those ministers in those posts which they
so unworthily filled,—it was the meeting of the thousands anti
the tens of thousands that had taken place on that very spot
that time twelve months that had sent those men back to that
government from which they had been displaced. (Hear.) It
was lamentable to find now, that in what they then patriotically
and nobly effected, they were not only doing no good, but he
was sorry to say, much harm. (Cries of " It's true.") They
should not imitate the example of the dun cow and run mad.—
(Cheers.) They had now to undo that which they had done ;
they should endeavour quietly and legally, but firmly, to pro.
cure the dismissal of the present ministers from office, who did
nothing that they ought to do, and a great many things that
they ou'rht not., (Loud cheers.) The labour of the men of
Birmingham, in placing such ministers in power, had been
worse than lost, for they mad disappointed all their hopes. And
for the purpose of assisting them in undoing that work he now
Caine once more amongst them. His Majesty's ministers not only
attacked the liberties of the people of Ireland, but they refused to
inquire into the distress of the people of both countries, and they
even denied its existence. They denied the existence of that distress
in the face of evidence the strongestthatpossibly could be adduced.
What had the members of the legislature done towards relieving
that distress? They told them some few years ago that they
would put nothing but gold pieces in the poor man's pocket.
He wished that every poor man's pocket was full of gold pieces;
but it was one thing to say so,
tandi
rown,another
antdo do
noneit.
nTthheey
poorhad
put a large lump of gold in he
man's pocket. le would ask his friends that were assembled
there that day, were they benefited by the present state of
things? (Loud and general cries of " No, no," which, as the
question was spread from man to man towards the extremities
of the vast assemblage, became almost universal.) They re-
membered the time of the war, at least many of them did so;
did they believe they were as well off now as they were then?
(Cries of " No, no/') They remembered the year 1825; did
they think they were;as well "off now as they were in that year ?
(" No, no.") He (Mr. Attwood) had asked his Majesty's
Ministers to cut down the burdens of the people in proportion
to the fall that had taken place in their wages and profits, or,
if they would not do that, he asked theni whether they would
not lilt up the wages and profits of the industrious classes, so as
to enable them to bear their present burdens ? (Cheers.) He
called on them to do so, but they refused either alternative,
though the adoption of one or other was due in common justice
to the people. (" Shame !") The consequence was, that taxes
and rents had been aggrandized by the fall that had taken place
wages
ingTne
opulation. That—that must be
altered. (Great of the
reatchelhearinnugr.) people could not be compel-
led to do impossibilities; and as money had been enhanced in
value, while the wages and profits of the people fell, and their
burdens continued at the same amount, rendering it impossible
for them to discharge them, the people would, sooner or later,
adopt measures to ensure themselves justice. (Loud cheers.)
Ministers will not allow of a repeal of the odious corn laws,—
they would not allow the people to get cheap corn and cheap
beef from Germany, but they would drain such articles out of,
instead of leaving
them in, unhappy Ireland. They would not
allow the people of this country to get cheap corn, and cheap
beef, from the French, and the Germans, and the Poles, and
the other nations of Europe that would supply them with' such
articles, so as to bring down the price of food one half in amount,
as he was sure would be the case if the odious corn laws were
repealed. The corn lmvs were the most unjust laws that had
ever been framed this side of hell. (Great cheering.) There-
fore, one of the petitions that would be proposed for their adop-
tion that. day was for a repeal of all corn laws. (Cheers.) Ano-
ther of the petitions was for the -repeal of the malt duty, and of
the assessed taxes (renewed cheers); and they had got an ad-
dress to be presented to the King, praying his 'Majesty to dis-
miss his present ministers. -(Tremendous cheers.) Those were
the measures on which the Council of the Union had decided
,the
wise, jnst, and practicable, to' be adopted at the present mo-
ment. They did not mean to say that such measures would be
sufficient for the country, but they thought it better to limit
their demands at present, according to the necessity of the case.
It seemed to them that, like a man shooting at partridges, they
aimed at too many things at once, they might miss all. Their
plan was to select their victim, and to bring it down : when such
of their wrongs were redressed, it would be then for them to
consider what 'more wrongs were remaining, or what further
rights they might require. In a great meeting, assembled as
that was, they could not act as a deliberative assembly. They
could not all make speeches and address the meeting, for if
they did so, the end of winter would not see the end of their
proceedings. The Council had, therefore, adopted a number
of rules for the regulation of the meeting, and one of them was,
that no one should speak without the consent of the 'chairman.
The resolutions would be brought before them in due order, and
it would be for them to decide upon the questions they embraced.
It was for the benefit of the people that he had advocated the
reform bill, and he would have been content with it if it had
worked well; hut how had it worked? What had his Majesty's
ministers done ? They had given poverty throughout England,
and slavery throughout Ireland. Ile now washed his hand of
all that he4had done to send his Majesty's ministers into power,
and he now cane forward to join this great meeting in.petition-
ing their good King to dismiss them from their situations.
(Loud cheers.) As they had before they would again in the
hour of need apply to the King, and he was sure that his Ma-
jesty would attend to their prayer, and that the present Mini-
sters would he as easily dismissed as the former were (loud
cheers;) and such would be the case with the next set if
they did not act right. (Repeated cheers.) They might he
sure that it would not be difficult to find men as wise at least as
the present ministers to succeed them in office.
Mr. B. HA DL EY proposed the first resolution, which was as
follows :

" That his Majesty's Ministers,--
" First, by violating the constitution and destroying the liber-
ties of Ireland ;
" Secondly, by refusing to allow the right of voting by ballot,
necessary to their protection in their just and legal fran-
chise •
"Thirdly, by their denial of general distress amongst the